WALES

Olympic Games

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the discussions he has had with his colleagues in Cabinet and with the Welsh Assembly Government regarding the promotion of the 2012 Olympics in Wales.

Peter Hain: I have had many useful discussions regarding the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	The Welsh Assembly Government has expressed its full support for the Games. The Nations and Regions Group of London 2012 will work to ensure that the benefits of London's successful bid are spread to all parts of the United Kingdom.
	Cardiff hosted a highly productive meeting of the UK Sports Cabinet on 2 November, which was attended by Lord Coe.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Aborted Prosecutions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General how many prosecutions have failed owing to the failure of witnesses to reach court in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The figures for the year from April 2004 to March 2005 are as follows: 4,945 cases failed because the victim unexpectedly failed to attend court, equivalent to 2.1 per cent. of failed cases; 1,935 failed because of the unexpected failure of other witnesses to attend, equivalent to 0.8 per cent. of failed cases; and 1,593 cases failed because of the unexpected failure of police witnesses to attend court, equivalent to 0.7 per cent. of failed cases.
	No comparable information is held for earlier periods.
	
		Reasons for unsuccessful outcomes: 2004–05
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Administrative finalisations(1) 51,589 21.6 
			 Evidential reasons   
			 E10 Key witness does not support case 1,786 0.7 
			 Ell Unreliable/lack of identification 7,975 3.3 
			 El Inadmissible evidence—breach of PACE 399 0.2 
			 E2 Inadmissible evidence—other than breach of PACE 1,201 0.5 
			 E3 Unreliable confession 194 0.1 
			 E4 Conflict of evidence 8,416 3.5 
			 E5 Essential medical evidence missing 510 0.2 
			 E6 Essential forensic evidence missing 1,515 0.6 
			 E7 Essential legal element missing 35,251 14.8 
			 E8 Unreliable witness or witnesses 5,183 2.2 
			 E9 Key victim does not support case 5,229 2.2 
			 Public interest reasons   
			 P12 Effect on victim's physical or mental health 534 0.2 
			 PI 3 Defendant elderly or in significant ill health 1,404 0.6 
			 P14 Loss or harm minor and single incident 612 0.3 
			 PI5 Loss or harm put right 1,177 0.5 
			 PI6 Long delay between offence/charge or trial 2,875 1.2 
			 PI7 Very small or nominal penalty 2,906 1.2 
			 PI8 Other indictment/sentence 8,966 3.8 
			 PI9 Informer or other public interest immunity issues 1,776 0.7 
			 P20 Caution more suitable 5,209 2.2 
			 P21 Youth of offender 164 0.1 
			
			 Prosecution unable to proceed   
			 U22 File not received from police—adjournment refused 2,055 0.9 
			 U23 CPS not ready—adjournment refused 1,886 0.8 
			 U24 Offence taken into consideration 561 0.2 
			 U25 Victim refuses to give evidence or retracts 10,401 4.4 
			 U26 Other witness refuses to give evidence or retracts 1,321 0.6 
			 U27 Victim fails to attend unexpectedly 4,945 2.1 
			 U28 Other civilian witness fails to attend unexpectedly 1,935 0.8 
			 U29 Police witness fails to attend unexpectedly 1,593 0.7 
			 U30 Victim intimidation 29 0.0 
			 U31 Other civilian witness intimidation 33 0.0 
			 U32 Documents produced at court 9,330 3.9 
			
			 Other reasons   
			 O33 Bind over acceptable 16,463 6.9 
			 O34 Acquittal after trial 17,428 7.3 
			 O35 Other 25,534 10.7 
			 Total238,385 — 
		
	
	(1)Where the defendant could not be traced, died, or was unfit to plead.
	
		Reasons for unsuccessful outcomes: 2005–06 to 21 November 2005
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 Administrative finalisations(2) 24,114 18.4 
			 Evidential reasons   
			 E10 Key witness does not support case 1,185 0.9 
			 Ell Unreliable/lack of identification 4,592 3.5 
			 El Inadmissible evidence—breach of PACE 207 0.2 
			 E2 Inadmissible evidence—other than breach of PACE 569 0.4 
			 E3 Unreliable confession 65 0.0 
			 E4 Conflict of evidence 5,330 4.1 
			 E5 Essential medical evidence missing 255 0.2 
			 E6 Essential forensic evidence missing 853 0.7 
			 E7 Essential legal element missing 24,378 18.6 
			 E8 Unreliable witness or witnesses 3,219 2.5 
			 E9 Key victim does not support case 4,160 3.2 
			
			 Public interest reasons   
			 P12 Effect on victim's physical or mental health 316 0.2 
			 P13 Defendant elderly or in significant ill health 968 0.7 
			 P14 Loss or harm minor and single incident 496 0.4 
			 PI5 Loss or harm put right 907 0.7 
			 P16 Long delay between offence/charge or trial 1,526 1.2 
			 PI7 Very small or nominal penalty 2,029 1.5 
			 PI8 Other indictment/sentence 5,603 4.3 
			 PI9 Informer or other public interest immunity issues 892 0.7 
			 P20 Caution more suitable 3,555 2.7 
			 P21 Youth of offender 192 0.1 
			 P36 Inappropriate to compel victim 94 0.1 
			 P37 Inappropriate to compel witness 40 0.0 
			
			 Prosecution unable to proceed   
			 U22 File not received from police—adjournment refused 1,447 1.1 
			 U23 CPS not ready—adjournment refused 1,014 0.8 
			 U24 Offence taken into consideration 293 0.2 
			 U25 Victim refuses to give evidence or retracts 5,763 4.4 
			 U26 Other witness refuses to give evidence or retracts 708 0.5 
			 U27 Victim fails to attend unexpectedly 3,096 2.4 
			 U28 Other civilian witness fails to attend unexpectedly 1,202 0.9 
			 U29 Police witness fails to attend unexpectedly 956 0.7 
			 U30 Victim intimidation 9 0.0 
			 U31 Other civilian witness intimidation 13 0.0 
			 U32 Documents produced at court 4,680 3.6 
			 Other reasons   
			 O33 Bind over acceptable 8,374 6.4 
			 O34 Acquittal after trial 12,441 9.5 
			 035 Other 5,656 4.3 
			 Total131,197 — 
		
	
	(2)Where the defendant could not be traced, died, or was unfit to plead

Aborted Prosecutions

Peter Bone: To ask the Solicitor-General how many and what percentage of prosecutions were aborted in (a) England and (b) Northamptonshire in 2004–05.

Mike O'Brien: In 2004–05, 202,370 prosecutions resulting in an early termination in England, amounted to 17.3 per cent. of all completed prosecutions. This compared with a figure of 1,789 for CPS Northamptonshire, or 12.6 per cent. of all prosecutions completed in the Area.

Carbon Management Programme

Norman Lamb: To ask the Solicitor-General whether his Department will sign up to the Carbon Trust's Carbon Management programme.

Mike O'Brien: I am answering this question on behalf of the Departments for which I am ministerially accountable—the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Treasury Solicitors Department (TSol), Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) and HMCPS Inspectorate (HMCPSI).
	All my Departments work together to share best practice in relation to sustainable development. None has immediate plans to adopt the Carbon Trust's scheme in its own right, although the CPS, which already uses renewable energy (climate levy exempt) on a large part of its controlled estate" will be using the Carbon Trust to carry out energy surveys in their offices with a view to identifying further ways of reducing energy use.
	TSol occupies 80 per cent. of a single building for which the landlord provides mechanical and electrical services. The landlord is using cleaner energy, which contributes to reducing carbon emissions. Although the landlord does not currently intend to sign up to the Carbon Management programme, to a great extent they believe that they have already undertaken the five steps required.

Dr. Ann David

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Solicitor-General if the Crown Prosecution Service will revisit the papers relating to the conduct of Dr. Ann David, following the completion of her disciplinary case before the General Medical Council, in relation to deaths of patients at Basildon hospital for whom she had responsibility.

Mike O'Brien: Yes. Essex police have delivered a comprehensive file relating to Dr. Ann David to the Crown Prosecution Service in Essex. A senior and experienced casework lawyer will review all the available evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. Advice will be provided to the police as soon as practicable and commensurate with the complexity and sensitivity of the case.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Levy Boards

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the European Commission on the application of state aid rules in relation to the expenditure of the Agricultural Levy Boards.

Ben Bradshaw: As part of ensuring that all UK's levy board activities comply fully with EU state aid rules, officials have had regular contacts with the European Commission. Except in those specific cases covered by special arrangements agreed as part of the UK's accession to the European Community, our levy bodies' activities are covered by European Commission state aid approvals.

Avian Influenza

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to ensure that strains of avian influenza do not enter the UK chicken population.

Ben Bradshaw: Trade in animals, birds and products within and into the European Community is controlled by Community law, which aims to prevent the introduction of disease.
	All imports of poultry and poultry products from EU countries must be accompanied by a health certificate as specified in Community Law, stating that they show no signs of disease. Poultry must originate from approved establishments and come from flocks which have been held in Community establishments for 21 days prior to export. Poultry must have undergone a health examination by an official or authorised veterinarian prior to despatch.
	All imports of poultry and poultry products into the EU from third countries must enter at designated border inspection posts where they are subject to documentary and identity checks. A physical check must be carried out to observe the state of health and behaviour of either the whole group or a representative sample of the animals. For poultry products, a proportion of consignments undergo physical checks. These checks ensure that the animals or products meet Community import requirements. Captive birds (e.g. canaries, budgies, parrots and birds of prey) must undergo a period of quarantine.
	The situation in affected countries is kept under review and controls on imports are modified in line with Community decisions. Safeguard measures are currently in place to ban or restrict imports of animals, meat and other products of susceptible species in respect of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, the People's Republic of China, including the territory of Hong Kong, North Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Russia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Croatia, and Turkey.
	However careful we are, disease may get into European countries carried by migrating wild birds. Whatever the source of an outbreak, European legislation lays down the action member states have to take to eradicate it.
	Defra monitors the disease situation globally and will take action to respond to disease outbreaks in other countries where a risk assessment justifies it.
	If there is an outbreak of disease in an exporting country likely to present a risk to human or animal health, Community legislation allows us to take appropriate safeguard action, pending action at Community level. This may include a ban on imports of animals and meat from all, or parts, of the affected country.
	Farmers also need to ensure that they are vigilant looking for signs of disease and ensure that they report any suspicions to their local Animal Health Divisional Office. All keepers of birds should ensure they maintain high standards of biosecurity. The Government has published guidance to poultry keepers stressing the importance of good biosecurity.

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the genomic characteristics which determine the virulence of the avian influenza virus H5N1.

Ben Bradshaw: The virus contains multiple basic amino acids at the cleavage site (PRQRRRKRGLF) of the haemagglutinin gene and therefore contains a sequence consistent with highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the clade designation was of the first isolated strain of H5N1 avian influenza identified in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: The H5N1 virus from Norfolk in 1992 belonged to a clade of contemporary European viruses (distinct from the three clades of 'Asian' viruses), descendants of which are still present in wild birds and poultry in Europe.

Avian Influenza

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the EU-wide ban on the trade of wild caught birds as a response to the threat of avian influenza.

Ben Bradshaw: On 25 October the Commission proposed a temporary ban on the importation of live captive (wild) birds, following calls for action by UK Ministers. The ban, due to last until 30 November 2005, was agreed by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH), On 16 November SCoFCAH agreed a Commission proposal to extend the ban until 31 January 2006. This was supported by the UK.
	Defra continues to keep the global disease situation under review. When we are officially notified of a new disease incident in an EU member state, a country on the border of the EU or one of the UK's third country trading partners, we carry out a qualitative risk analysis. These are published on our website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/monitorinq/riskassess.htm

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether type A human influenza can be transmitted to poultry.

Ben Bradshaw: There is no substantial scientific evidence to suggest that type A human influenza viruses are transmitted to poultry.

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on how many occasions in each of the last five years officers from her Department have inspected the quarantine facility in Essex from which isolates of H5N1 avian influenza virus have been isolated.

Ben Bradshaw: From January 2000 to date, SVS records show there have been five inspection visits by a VO at the quarantine facility in the past five years:
	One in May 2000 (this was in its capacity as primate quarantine premises at the time, not birds)
	One in December 2001—initial approval visit to become captive birds quarantine premises and then yearly bird quarantine facility re-approval visits
	One in November 2002—routine inspection one in December 2003—routine inspection and
	One in December 2004—routine inspection.

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is transmissible from bird to bird via (a) fomites and (b) other contamination passed by humans who have been in contact with those birds.

Ben Bradshaw: Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses can be transmitted in excretions of infected birds, particularly faeces. It is possible for viruses to be spread on contaminated objects such as utensils, shoes and clothes.

Avian Influenza

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 6W to the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr.Williams), on avian influenza, where the suitably engineered commercial licensed landfills will be located; and what research has been evaluated on the safety of deep burial of avian-influenza-infected carcasses.

Ben Bradshaw: In consultation with the Environment Agency, officials are currently reviewing the suitability for poultry carcase disposal of all commercial licensed landfills where Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permits have been applied for. Once this review is complete a list of potentially suitable sites will be made public. A landfill protocol designed to mitigate any public health, animal health and environmental risks is being drawn up by representatives from Government, the environmental agencies and the landfill industry. This protocol draws on the experiences obtained from the deep burial of large number of animal carcases during the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease—it also draws on published data on virus survival and Environment Agency research.

Avian Influenza

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1048W, on avian influenza, what discussions she has had with (a) the National Farmers Union, (b) local authorities and (c) the Local Government Association on (i) the work that will be undertaken and (ii) funding for the work; what the timetable is for reaching decisions; and what estimate has been made of the likely costs to local authorities.

Ben Bradshaw: Officials in the Department have had discussions with the National Farmers Union and other bodies representing poultry keepers about the responsibilities of keepers of poultry and the Government's disease control arrangements in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza.
	Discussions will be held with the Local Government Association about the role local authorities would play in an outbreak of avian influenza.

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether, for the purpose of determining the presence of H5N1 avian influenza in birds, Veterinary Laboratories Agency standard operating procedures (a) permit and (b) consider it good practice to pool samples for laboratory analysis from different (i) batches, (ii) species and (iii) origins of birds.

Ben Bradshaw: Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) standard operating procedures prescribe that for laboratory analyses, where possible samples from the same unit in the quarantine centre should be batched into five birds per batch according to species. However, provision is made that when the total consignment from a single unit consists of mixed species and comprises five birds or fewer, these may be conveniently grouped into a single batch.

Avian Influenza

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the availability of capacity within the rendering sector to cope with a potential outbreak of avian influenza; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is in close contact with the United Kingdom Renderers Association (UKRA) and has assessed the current available capacity and maximum likely capacity. The available capacity at any time will depend on the time of year, breakdowns and other demands. Some 2,500 tonnes per week (equivalent to 1.25 million chickens) would be available very quickly and a further 10–15,000 tonnes could be brought on stream within about two weeks.

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the conditions under which the Mesias, in whose samples the avian influenza virus was isolated at the quarantine facility in Essex were imported into this country, with particular reference to (a) the form of transport and (b) other birds which were imported in the same cargo space.

Ben Bradshaw: The bird shipment from Taiwan, which included the Mesias, was transported in cages that complied with IATA (International Air Transport Association) live animal regulations. They were flown as manifest freight (cargo) in one of the cargo holds of the aircraft.
	The only other birds that were imported on the aircraft with the Mesias were the laughing thrushes and mynah birds that were part of that particular consignment.

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken to minimise the chances of the H5N1 virus entering the UK through the import of live birds; and what changes have been made to (a) the rules for the transport of live birds and (b) the procedures relating to the quarantine of birds.

Ben Bradshaw: On 25 October the commission proposed a temporary ban on the importation of live captive (wild) birds, following calls for action by UK Ministers after the incident of avian influenza found in a quarantine premises. The ban, due to last until 30 November 2005, was agreed by the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH). On 16 November SCoFCAH agreed a commission proposal to extend the ban until 31 January 2006.
	DEFRA continues to keep the global disease situation under review. When we are officially notified of a new disease incident in an EU member state, a country on the border of the EU or one of the UK's third country trading partners, we carry out a qualitative risk analysts. These are published on our website.
	There have been no changes to the rules for the transport of live birds. All birds are required to be transported in cages that comply with IATA (international Air Transport Association) standards.
	We are currently awaiting the outcome of an independent review of the quarantine system, which is expected to report early in December, to see whether quarantine procedures need to be reviewed.

Avian Influenza

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in relation to the pooled sample of 30 Mesias in which the presence of avian influenza virus H5N1 has been detected, how the exact date of death was determined; and how was the (a) time and (b) source of infection determined.

Ben Bradshaw: Six pooled samples from the 30 Mesias were examined virologically. As indicated in the published epidemiology report the exact dates of death of these birds is unknown, but they are believed by the keeper to be before 7 October. Neither the time nor the source of infection have been determined.

Badgers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the relative suffering caused to badgers when they are killed by means of (a) carbon monoxide, (b) carbon dioxide and (c) other gases.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The Government will shortly be making an announcement on preventing the further spread of bovine TB. The evidence considered in developing the Government's approach will be published at the time.

Bird Imports (Border Procedures)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what procedures are undertaken at border inspection posts to ensure that the documentation accompanying imported captive birds is genuine.

Ben Bradshaw: Before the ban on captive birds was implemented, the only third countries that could export captive birds to the EU had to be members of the World Organisation for Animal Health (the OIE). The OIE's Terrestrial Animal Health Code lays down the standards of certification members have to apply.
	Captive birds imported into the EU from third countries must enter at designated Border Inspection Posts where they are subject to veterinary inspections. All consignments are subject to documentary and identity checks to ensure that import conditions are met.
	The captive birds must be accompanied by a health certificate, as laid down in Community law. The Official Veterinary Surgeon at the border inspection post will check to ensure that the certificate accompanying the birds conforms to this model, has been completed correctly, has been signed and stamped, and is genuine.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the risk to cattle herds in Northamptonshire from bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 22 November 2005
	Statistics on bovine TB are aggregated according to the office structure of the state veterinary service (SVS). Northamptonshire is not currently a recognised region within the SVS structure. As a result it is not possible to disaggregate data on bovine TB in cattle herds in this manner We are, however, able to provide data for the Leicester Animal Health Divisional Office (AHDO) which covers Northamptonshire.
	Our latest assessment shows that in the Leicester AHDO area there were 39 new TB incidents in the first nine months of 2005, compared to 30 in 2004. Supplementary data also show that 1.8 per cent. of herds were restricted due to a TB incident in the first nine months of 2005, compared to 1.3 per cent. in 2004.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the polymerase chain reaction test for M. bovis DNA in (a) identifying infected material around badger setts and (b) combating bovine tuberculosis; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The detection of Mycobacterium bovis directly from live badgers and their excretions using techniques based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is complex and difficult. Largely this is because of the low levels and intermittent nature of excretion of M.bovis by infected animals. Currently the most robust PCR techniques for use on any sample (cattle, badger or environmental) are specific for M. tuberculosis complex and not M. bovis. Small scale use of this technique on environmental samples has highlighted the practical difficulties in obtaining good quality DMA and specificity is a further problem. The results so far have not been encouraging, but we are looking to see if improvements can be made.
	Research using conventional laboratory-based PCR has shown that the technique is not yet able to perform as well as conventional bacterial culture in the detection of M. bovis. However, the PCR technique may well have a future role to play in helping to combat the disease in cattle by helping to reduce the time taken to confirm a herd breakdown. Our research is designed to look more closely at this aspect of disease control.

Brazilian Beef

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations her Department has made on ensuring that Brazil's animal traceability systems are improved following recent incidents of foot and mouth disease in that country; and if her Department will introduce a full ban on Brazilian beef imports.

Ben Bradshaw: Each consignment of imported meat must be accompanied by appropriate health certification. The certificate confirms the territory from which the animals originated. In addition the animal must have been subjected to ante and post-mortem inspection and the meat must be deboned and matured. This process ensures that imported meat does not present a risk.
	All meat imported into the EU from third countries must enter at designated border inspection posts (BIPs) where it is subject to veterinary inspections. All consignments are subject to documentary and identity checks and at least 20 per cent. of consignments undergo physical checks. These ensure import conditions are met and that the products remain in a satisfactory condition during transport.
	Following recent outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, the Brazilian authorities have imposed additional internal movement controls on animals from the affected area.
	The European Commission's Food and Veterinary Office is responsible for carrying out inspections in the third countries from which meat is imported into the Community. An inspection visit was carried out in Brazil in September. The outcome of that inspection is not yet available, but Commission Services would have taken immediate action to protect animal and public health if they thought this was necessary.
	WTO rules allow protective measures to be taken on the basis of scientific evidence and these measures must be adapted to regional conditions. Therefore, following notification of the recent outbreak, immediate action was taken to ban imports of meat from the affected regions.

Calf Exports

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the resumption of the export of live calves to Europe.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 22 November 2005
	The Government is working towards lifting the current ban on exports of UK beef, bovine products and live cattle and we expect the European Commission to submit proposals to other EU member states to lift the ban. Our objective is to be able to trade on the same basis as other EU member states for cattle born after July 1996 and for products derived from them.
	If the ban is lifted, any live exports would be subject to the rigorous application of health and welfare rules.

Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how long it took for each eligible area to receive funding from her Department's Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme from the time that her Department was notified of payment of the funding to the affected area;
	(2)  how many contaminated land areas have been eligible for funding under her Department's Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme;
	(3)  how many contaminated land areas have been rectified by identified class A polluters without recourse to her Department's Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme in the last five years;
	(4)  what the criteria are for eligibility of contaminated land areas for funding under her Department's Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department's Contaminated Land Capital Projects Programme (CLCPP) provides financial assistance to English local authorities for contaminated land capital projects. It covers both investigation and remediation work by authorities. It does not fund work by other parties. It is delivered to successful authorities as supported capital expenditure (revenue) via the next available revenue support grant settlement after expenditure by the authority. In 2004–05 we approved 163 bids. Approval times vary, but two months is common for straightforward cases. Sites and projects may involve more than one bid, for example where work is in stages.
	The eligibility criteria for this programme are at section 2 of CLAN1/05, A Guide for English Local Authorities". Local authorities were made aware of the guide. A copy is on DEFRA's website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/land/contaminated/approvals/index.htm, which is updated each year.
	We do not hold information about investigation or remedial work undertaken without recourse to our programme. Where the case is the subject of action under part 11A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, then information is placed on the relevant public register held by each local authority. The DEFRA website details overall numbers of part 11A cases at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/land/contaminated/faq.htm This data on part 11A regulatory activity is regularly updated. Many contaminated sites are dealt with through the development of land and the grant of planning permission, and applications and decisions are placed on the local planning register.

EU Committees

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the UK representatives on the EU Sugar Management Committee and Special Committee for Agriculture will support the proposal that the EU price used for calculation of the export refunds for manufactured goods containing sugar should include the proposed restructuring levy.

Jim Knight: The European Commission's proposals for reform of the EU sugar regime provide for thedifference between world prices and prices in the Community to be covered by export refunds to the extent necessary to enable trade to take place. Thesetting of refunds is delegated to the Commission through the Management Committee procedure. UK representatives at that Committee will judge proposals for the calculation of refunds on their merits and in the light of appropriate consultations with stakeholder interests.

EU Directives

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Department has carried out of the impact on costs of the (a) EU end of life vehicles directive and (b) EU waste electrical equipment directive; and if she will place copies of the assessments in the Library.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has published final Regulatory Impact Assessments of the costs of the UK implementing regulations for the end of life vehicles directive, and partial Regulatory Impact Assessments for the planned implementation of the waste electrical and electronic equipment directive, all of which have been placed previously in the Libraries of the House.

Fly-tipping

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what volume of waste she estimates was illegally fly-tipped in each year since 1992, broken down by the nature of this waste.

Ben Bradshaw: No national data are currently available on the volume of waste illegally fly-tipped over the whole of the period specified. Flycapture, the national fly-tipping database, was established in April 2004 and although it does not record the specific volume of incidents, average data are gathered.
	
		
			  Number of tips Size of tip/m3 Volume/m3 Type 
		
		
			 Single Item 333,055 0.25 78,954.5 assumption 
			 Car boot or less 246,468 1 242,335.0 guidance 
			 Van load 194,904 4 759,172.0 guidance 
			 Transit van load 96,943 10 941,320.0 guidance 
			 Tipper lorry load 20,987 40 777,640.0 assumption 
			 Significant multi loads 6,860 100 569,900.0 assumption 
			 Total/m3   3,369,321.5  
		
	
	Note:
	1.Data in the table is from waste collection authorities and the Environment Agency for England as recorded on the Flycapture database from April 2004–March 2005.
	2.Volume details are an estimate only as the database records summary numbers linked to average sizes rather than reporting specific volumes in an incident database. 'assumption' indicates an average size that can be assumed, whereas 'guidance' indicates that a suggested size is proposed in the database guidance.
	The Environment Agency also keeps more detailed information on the incidents they deal with. The total number of substantiated fly-tipped incidents attended by the Environment Agency is:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001 2,437 
			 2002 4,636 
			 2003 4,967 
			 2004 3,658 
			 2005 (3)1,932 
		
	
	1 1 January 2005 to 10 November 2005
	Note: 1.Environment Agency data capture on the nature of wastes fly-tipped and available for 2001 to 2005 is in the table. The number of pollutants identified will exceed the number of incidents due to single incidents with multiple pollutants. 2.Environment Agency volumetric data capture commenced last year It is therefore as yet detailed will not provide as complete a picture as Flycapture.
	
		Substantiated fly-tipping incidents—nature of waste fly-tipped 2005 data (up to 1 November 2005)
		
			 Pollutant type (tier 1) Pollutants (tier 2) 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Agricultural Materials and Wastes Carcasses 4 8 12 6 1 
			 Agricultural Materials and Wastes Fertiliser 1  1   
			 Agricultural Materials and Wastes Other Agricultural Material or Waste 8 23 27 10 10 
			 Agricultural Materials and Wastes Silage Liquors1  
			 Agricultural Materials and Wastes Solid Manure 2 10 3 6 1 
			 Atmospheric Pollutants and Effects Chemical Odour 1 
			 Atmospheric Pollutants and Effects Dust 2 1  1  
			 Atmospheric Pollutants and Effects Fumes   1 1  
			 Atmospheric Pollutants and Effects Other Atmospheric Pollutant or Effect 2 5 1 2  
			 Atmospheric Pollutants and Effects Smoke 2 2 10 7 3 
			 Contaminated Water Chemically Contaminated Run-Off 1 1
			 Contaminated Water Firefighting Run-Off  2 1   
			 Contaminated Water Other Contaminated Water 3 2  2  
			 Contaminated Water Urban Run-Off 1 
			 Contaminated Water Vehicle and Plant Washings  2  1  
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Algae  1
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Animal and Vegetable Oil 3 4 6 6 1 
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Blood and Offal 1 2 1 1 2 
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Composted Material 14 13 11 9 5 
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Food and Drink 23 31 39 35 13 
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Natural Organic Material 46 88 83 71 22 
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Other Animal Matter 11 15 18 17 12 
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Other General Biodegradable Material or Waste 373 602 659 456 154 
			 General Biodegradable Materials and Wastes Vegetable Cuttings and Deposits 149 195 196 150 51 
			 Inert Materials and Wastes Coal 2 3
			 Inert Materials and Wastes Demolition Materials and Wastes 519 901 967 716 266 
			 Inert Materials and Wastes Mineral Materials and Wastes 7 12 14 12 3 
			 Inert Materials and Wastes Other Inert Material or Waste 218 370 366 210 87 
			 Inert Materials and Wastes Rocks and Gravel 12 19 18 20 2 
			 Inert Materials and Wastes Soils and Clay 65 147 131 89 41 
			 Inorganic Chemicals/Products Acids 6 10 6 6 9 
			 Inorganic Chemicals/Products Alkalis 3 3 5 5 3 
			 Inorganic Chemicals/Products Ammonia Solutions 1 
			 Inorganic Chemicals/Products Cement  2 3 1  
			 Inorganic Chemicals/Products Cyanides  2   1 
			 Inorganic Chemicals/Products Heavy Metals   1 1 1 
			 Inorganic Chemicals/Products Other Inorganic Chemical or Product 9 17 16 13 6 
			 No pollutant Entered No pollutant Entered  1
			 Oils and Fuel Crude Oil1 1 
			 Oils and Fuel Cutting Oils  1 2 1 3 
			 Oils and Fuel Diesel 11 17 23 4 5 
			 Oils and Fuel Gas and Fuel Oils 2 4 7 5  
			 Oils and Fuel Hydraulic Oils 7 7 1 2  
			 Oils and Fuel Insulating and Cable Oils1  
			 Oils and Fuel Kerosene and Aviation Fuel  1 1   
			 Oils and Fuel Lubricating Oils 7 21 20  7 
			 Oils and Fuel Mixed/Waste Oils 22 60 48 58 34 
			 Oils and Fuel Other Oil or Fuel 6 17 8 12 10 
			 Oils and Fuel Petrol 7 14 10 11 3 
			 Oils and Fuel Unidentified Oil 17 32 43 42 20 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Adhesives   7 1  
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Alcohols/Aldehydes  4 2 2 1 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Dyes and Inks 4 2 1  1 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Hydrocarbons 4 5 1 5 5 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Other Organic Chemical or Product 7 12 15 9 13 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Paints and Varnishes 3 11 14 15 7 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Pesticides and Biocides 1 1 2 3 2 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Phenols and Creosote  1 4 2 2 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Solvents 10 22 19 21 12 
			 Organic Chemicals/Products Surfactants and Detergents 2 5 1 4 4 
			 Other Pollutant Microbiological  1 1   
			 Other Pollutant Noise1  
			 Other Pollutant Other 98 129 151 138 45 
			 Other Pollutant Radionucleid   1   
			 Pollutant Not Identified Not Identified 43 72 113 71 44 
			 Sewage Materials Crude Sewage 1  1 3 2 
			 Sewage Materials Grey Water  2 1   
			 Sewage Materials Other Sewage Material 1 2  1 1 
			 Sewage Materials Sludge  1 1   
			 Specific Waste Materials Asbestos 122 241 274 275 167 
			 Specific Waste Materials Batteries 9 29 33 27 18 
			 Specific Waste Materials Clinical Waste 9 12 14 13 4 
			 Specific Waste Materials Commercial Waste 130 292 316 214 96 
			 Specific Waste Materials Containers 21 39 56 64 35 
			 Specific Waste Materials Contaminated Construction and Demolition  Material and Waste13 7 
			 Specific Waste Materials Contaminated Soil 1 1 8 3  
			 Specific Waste Materials Electrical Equipment61 58 
			 Specific Waste Materials Household Waste 369 840 1,002 790 309 
			 Specific Waste Materials Inorganic Chemical Wastes 2 3 3 3 5 
			 Specific Waste Materials Metal Wastes 36 88 74 59 16 
			 Specific Waste Materials Organic Chemical Wastes 2 6 3 3 5 
			 Specific Waste Materials Other Composites 6 6 8 6  
			 Specific Waste Materials Other Non-Metal Wastes 7 19 23 26 8 
			 Specific Waste Materials Other Specific Waste Material 57 219 228 179 59 
			 Specific Waste Materials Prescription only medicines   2 2  
			 Specific Waste Materials Tarry Wastes 6 10 11 5 3 
			 Specific Waste Materials Thermal Mineral Residues   2   
			 Specific Waste Materials Tyres 199 404 429 282 160 
			 Specific Waste Materials Vehicles and Vehicle Parts 62 116 140 102 55

Household Waste

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate the Government have made of the financial implications for local authorities of its proposed household duty of care on waste.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste (Household Waste Duty of Care) (England and Wales) Regulations 2005 give local authorities a new power to take action against householders for breaches of the duty of care. There is no duty on local authorities to enforce this requirement or to prosecute offenders. Therefore, the extent to which this new power is used will be a matter for individual local authorities based on their enforcement and prosecution policies, and the financial implications will vary accordingly.
	As many local authorities have enforcement teams to deal with fly-tipping and other local environmental quality offences, there will be no additional cost as this is simply another power they can use to target offenders. Local authorities have been requesting this power for some time. They currently spent around £44 million from April 2004 to March 2005 on clearing fly-tipping, 55 per cent. of which was household waste. Enforcing the household waste duty of care will help to reduce illegal dumping and could lead to resource savings for authorities.

Landfill

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the landfill requirement arising from the use of bottled water; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: No specific assessment has been made by Defra of the landfill requirements arising from the use of bottled water. Both plastic and glass bottles are recyclable and there is no need to landfill them.

Live Animal Exports

Patrick Cormack: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to enforce the rules governing the export of live animals.

Ben Bradshaw: Any live exports will be subject to the rigorous application of the health and welfare rules. Any evidence of non-compliance should be brought either to the attention of the relevant local authority or Defra so that it can be investigated.

Livestock Farmers (Levy)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her response is to the recommendation of the Committee of Public Accounts, Ninth Report of 2005–06, HC563, page 5, that a levy on livestock farmers be introduced to pay for the cost of disease outbreaks.

Ben Bradshaw: The introduction of a levy that enables livestock producers to share the risks of animal disease outbreaks is one of the options that will be examined under an industry/government partnership in the context of the soon to be published Farming Regulation and Charging Strategy.

Mobile Phones/Printer Cartridges

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) mobile phones and (b) printer cartridges she estimates were (i) recycled, (ii) reused overseas and (iii) disposed of within the United Kingdom waste stream in each year since 1990.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect recycling or reused information on mobile phones or printer cartridges.

Nappies

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to continue to fund campaigns to encourage the use of cloth nappies.

Ben Bradshaw: The Waste and Resources Action Programme is running the re-usable nappy programme on behalf of Defra. Funding for this programme includes support for schemes encouraging the use of re-usable nappies.
	The current funding with WRAP finishes the end of March 2006. We are currently in discussion with WRAP about their programmes, including the Real Nappy Work after this date.

Nappies

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the environmental effects of the use of cloth nappies on maternity wards.

Ben Bradshaw: The Life Cycle Analysis published in May this year by the Environment Agency stated that there was no overall environmental benefit in using either disposable or re-usable nappies.
	However, the use of re-usable nappies, including those from maternity wards, will help to reduce the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfill and therefore contribute towards the meeting of targets to reduce such waste under the Landfill Directive.

Pet Fairs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to bring forward a ban on pet fairs.

Ben Bradshaw: We have been in contact with interested parties, both for and against the banning of pet fairs, in order to prepare proposals in relation to these events. We have now had an opportunity to consider the responses to this first consultation and our proposal to license pet fairs is detailed in a Regulatory impact Assessment which Defra published alongside the Animal Welfare Bill. We also intend to undertake a wider public consultation before any legislation in this area is finally introduced.
	New measures to help prevent the spread of avian influenza have been agreed by the European Commission. Decision 2005/745/EC, adopted by the EU on 21 October, requires member states to ban birds at markets, shows, fairs and similar events. Domestic legislation bringing these measures into effect has been in force since Friday 28 October. The EU decision will be reviewed on 30 November.

Pigeons

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column1067W, on pigeons, what criteria will be used in the die-off assessment to calculate response times; and what assessment she has made of the capacity of the State Veterinary Service to deal with carcase collection.

Ben Bradshaw: A die-off involving more than three to four birds from the same species or five to six birds from different species will be referred, by the Defra helpline, to a laboratory specialist (during normal working hours) or to a veterinary officer from the State Veterinary Service (out of normal working hours). The decision as to whether carcases are required for examination is made during this second, more detailed assessment. The criteria to determine the time until collection will depend on factors including the scale of the die-off, other possible causal factors and the location of the carcases.
	In order to enable the State Veterinary Service to make response times as short as practicable, all animal health offices have increased the number of staff on call out of hours by arranging for an additional Animal Health Officer to be available from each office out of hours specifically to carry out this work.

Pigeons

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1067W, on pigeons, what discussions she has had with veterinary organisations on arrangements for carcase collection in the event of an outbreak; and what representations veterinary surgeons have made to her on the safety implications of transporting carcases to incineration sites.

Ben Bradshaw: Plans for carcase collection and disposal are set out in Defra's Exotic Disease Generic Contingency Plan which was laid before Parliament in July 2005. The plan was issued for public consultation in February and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, British Veterinary Association and British Small Animal Veterinary Association were all formally consulted—a summary of responses is available on the Defra website.
	The Department has developed stringent protocols and arrangements for the safe collection and transportation of carcases for off-site disposal which are based on veterinary risk assessments and build on the experiences of the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak. This includes the use of appropriately sealed and covered specialist vehicles which comply with the requirements of the EU Animal By-Products Regulation. All trucks are leak tested prior to use and all loads are escorted.

Private Sewers

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with Ofwat on the cost models involved in the adoption of private sewers; which is the preferred model; when the process of adopting private sewers will begin; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Following discussions with Defra, Ofwat has provided financial analysis for potential implementation options should ownership of private sewers and lateral drains be transferred to water and sewerage companies. The implementation options were decided on following discussions with key stakeholders.
	The Government now expects to publish a decision on transfer in the new year and does not rule out further consultation on the options for implementation.

Quarantine

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to change the quarantine arrangements involving (a) bird traders and (b) importers of birds.

Ben Bradshaw: An Independent Review chaired by Professor Nigel Dimmock has been established to review avian quarantine arrangements. We expect to receive his report, which we will publish, in early December.

Veterinary Surgeons Bill

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to be in a position to publish the Veterinary Surgeons Bill.

Ben Bradshaw: A draft Bill will be introduced when parliamentary time is available. We are developing options on which to base a draft Bill and will ensure that there is appropriate consultation of stakeholders.

Waste Management

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total volume of (a) domestic, (b) commercial and (c) other waste was in each region in each year since 2001–02; what this represents per head of population; and what proportion was (i) sent to landfill, (ii) incinerated and (iii) disposed of by other means.

Ben Bradshaw: Results for municipal waste, of which approximately 90 per cent. is domestic waste, are taken from the annual Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey. The results for both commercial waste and industrial waste are taken from the Environment Agency Commercial and Industrial Waste Survey and are available for 2002–03 only. Results for other types of waste are not available broken down at regional level. Totals may not add due to rounding.
	
		Municipal waste -- Thousand tonnes
		
			  Arisings Tonnes per head Landfill Incinerated Other 
		
		
			 2001–02  
			 East Midlands 2,409 0.58 1,881 156 373 
			 East of England 2,999 0.56 2,411 42 545 
			 London 4,438 0.61 3,244 844 351 
			 North East 1,572 0.62 1,220 243 108 
			 North West 4,183 0.62 3,608 97 478 
			 South East 4,477 0.56 3,537 1 940 
			 South West 2,830 0.57 2,284 3 544 
			 West Midlands 2,985 0.57 1,688 944 351 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,013 0.61 2,549 116 348 
			   
			 2002–03  
			 East Midlands 2,449 0.58 1,899 142 408 
			 East of England 3,012 0.56 2,369 43 600 
			 London 4,446 0.60 3,163 873 410 
			 North East 1,657 0.65 1,261 232 164 
			 North West 4,344 0.64 3,625 112 607 
			 South East 4,538 0.56 3,467 16 1,055 
			 South West 2,901 0.58 2,263 3 635 
			 West Midlands 3,046 0.57 1,650 968 428 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,001 0.60 2,372 217 411 
			 2003–04  
			 East Midlands 2,445 0.57 1,791 151 503 
			 East of England 2,944 0.54 2,203 36 704 
			 London 4,342 0.59 3,021 827 494 
			 North East 1,637 0.64 1,147 216 273 
			 North West 4,380 0.64 3,491 109 779 
			 South East 4,529 0.56 3,310 93 1,125 
			 South West 2,865 0.57 2,166 4 695 
			 West Midlands 3,031 0.57 1,594 928 509 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,931 0.59 2,212 237 482 
		
	
	
		2002–03 Commercial waste -- Thousand tonnes
		
			  Arisings Tonnes per head Landfill Incinerated Other 
		
		
			 East Midlands 2,322 0.55 1,178 113 1,031 
			 East of England 3,308 0.61 1,389 111 1,808 
			 London 5,604 0.76 2,520 286 2,798 
			 North East 1,199 0.47 589 121 489 
			 North West 3,833 0.57 2,035 133 1,665 
			 South East 5,271 0.66 2,547 223 2,501 
			 South West 2,967 0.60 1,549 47 1,371 
			 West Midlands 3,019 0.57 1,457 99 1,463 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2,797 0.56 1,261 64 1,472 
		
	
	
		2002–03 Industrial waste -- Thousand tonnes
		
			  Arisings Tonnes per head Landfill Incinerated Other 
		
		
			 East Midlands 5,771 1.37 2,550 145 3,076 
			 East of England 3,256 0.60 857 202 2,197 
			 London 1,902 0.26 482 88 1,332 
			 North East 3,400 1.34 1,293 181 1,926 
			 North West 4,502 0.66 1,867 226 2,409 
			 South East 3,581 0.45 1,310 192 2,079 
			 South West 2,589 0.52 802 63 1,724 
			 West Midlands 4,246 0.80 1,457 135 2,654 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 8,339 1.67 2,574 89 5,676

Waste Management

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when officials from her Department last discussed with Northamptonshire county council its waste disposal strategy.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 22 November 2005
	Defra officials have not met with Northamptonshire county council but are aware of their intention to submit an Expression of Interest for waste PFI credits. As part of that process, Defra will be assessing the status and quality of Northamptonshire's Municipal Waste Management Strategy.

Waste Management

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on plans for the future of the Waste and Resources Action Programme.

Ben Bradshaw: Earlier this year we advised the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) of their indicative funding from Defra until the financial year 2007–08. We are currently reviewing all aspects of our waste strategy, including how the work of WRAP contributes to our objectives. We hope to publish a substantial progress report on this for consultation early in the New Year.

World Trade Organisation

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely effect of the EU's most recent offer in the World Trade Organisation trade negotiations on (a) applied EU agricultural tariffs and (b) total levels of EU agricultural subsidy.

Ben Bradshaw: For most EU tariffs, the general 'most favoured nation' (MFN) applied tariffs are the same as the bound tariffs. This means that, in general, the cuts in the bound tariffs will translate into equivalent cuts in the general MFN applied tariffs. (The most notable exceptions are some of the tariffs in the cereals, rice and fruit and vegetables sectors.)
	For some countries EU applied tariffs are less than the applied MFN tariffs. These lower applied tariffs are granted to groups such as the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (for least developed countries most tariffs are already zero under the everything but arms agreement). At present there is no proposal for any specific reduction in these preferential tariff rates. Neither is there any proposal for a reduction in the concessionary within-quotas tariffs which already exist.
	Total agricultural support consists of two broad categories: market price support (keeping domestic agricultural prices above world prices), which involves costs to consumers and Government expenditure; and direct payments by Government. The two aspects of the EU offer which will have the most impact on consumer costs are the elimination of export subsidies and the reductions in tariffs. The elimination of export subsidies and the reductions in tariffs will allow prices to fall, resulting in a decrease in the overall level of subsidy due to a decrease in consumer costs. However, it is difficult to predict the magnitude of this effect because of the complex interactions between domestic support reforms, trade reforms, and reforms in other major agricultural producing countries.
	The EU's offer on domestic support will consolidate the 2003 CAP reforms. The result of the offer would be a real reduction in trade-distorting subsidy from both the pre-2003 position and the current position. However, the non-trade-distorting direct payments are not affected by the EU's offer in the WTO negotiations as these are eligible for the WTO 'green box'.

PRIME MINISTER

Al-Jazeera

Adam Price: To ask the Prime Minister what information he received on action that the United States Administration proposed to take against the Al-Jazeera television channel.

Tony Blair: None.

Commission for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Prime Minister what criteria he used to decide on the appointment of members of the Commission for Africa; and what assessment he has made of whether the commissioners still meet these criteria.

Tony Blair: I established the Commission for Africa in February 2004. Commissioners were invited to participate in a personal capacity. Criteria included the desirability of a broad geographical balance both within and outside Africa, and a mix of those with political, civil society, private sector and international community backgrounds. Nine of the seventeen commissioners were from Africa; three commissioners were women.
	The Commission for Africa report and the commission's consultation process have been widely praised, suggesting that the composition of the commission was and remains appropriate. I am grateful for the personal contribution of all of the commissioners.

Peerage

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister how many persons elevated to the peerage in each year since 1997 were resident at the time of their elevation in (a) each region of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr. Paterson) on 24 March 2005, Official Report, column 939W and 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1565W.
	Since 25 March 2005, 38 people have been elevated to the peerage. Their place of residence at the time of their elevation is shown in the following table. Information for judicial peers is not held in the format requested.
	
		
			 Residence at time of elevation Number 
		
		
			 England  
			 North East 2 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 1 
			 East of England 5 
			 West Midlands 1 
			 South East 4 
			 South West 4 
			 London 13 
			   
			 Scotland 6 
			 Wales 1 
			 Northern Ireland 0 
			 Judicial (no home address) 1

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what stages the scientific validity of an animal experimentation project is assessed before it can be licensed by his Department; by whom; and by what methods.

Andy Burnham: The use of animals in scientific procedures in the United Kingdom is strictly regulated by the Home Office under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Licences are granted for animalexperiments undertaken for specific permissible purposes. There must be no alternative to the use of animals, the potential benefit of the work has to outweigh the adverse effects on the animals involved and the number of animals used and any suffering that may be caused must be minimised.
	Under the conditions attached to a certificate of designation under the 1986 Act, proposals to conduct a programme of work involving animal experiments must first be considered by the local ethical review process at the establishment concerned. One of the functions of the Ethical Review Process is to examine the efficacy and conduct of work to be undertaken. In addition, research councils and charities fund many research projects carried out under the 1986 Act and such work is evaluated by and reported to those organisations. A licence application is only submitted to the Home Office once participants in the local ethical review process are satisfied that the work can be justified.
	Applications received by the Home Office are thoroughly assessed by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, to ensure compliance with the criteria laid down in the 1986 Act. To comply with section 5(4) of the Act, any application to use protected animals in research must be subjected to a detailed cost/ benefit assessment by Home Office inspectors. Here, the likely adverse effects on the animals concerned are weighed against the benefit likely to accrue as a result of the proposed programme of work. Inspectors are either medical or veterinary professionals. They usually have first hand experience of biomedical research and possess higher scientific or clinical postgraduate qualifications. They advise the Secretary of State on whether and on what terms licence authorities should be granted. Some applications are also referred for advice to the Animal Procedures Committee.

Animal Experiments

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent advice he has received from (a) the Animal Procedures Committee and (b) other sources of independent advice on the scientific validity of animal experiments.

Andy Burnham: Three major United Kingdom inquiries have reported since 2002 on the contribution of animal research to science and medicine.
	In 2002 the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures held that
	On balance, we are convinced that experiments on animals have contributed greatly to scientific advances, both for human medicine and for animal health. Animal experimentation is a valuable research method which has proved itself over time. Toxicological testing in animals is at present essential for medical practice and the protection of consumers and the environment, as it often provides information that is not currently available from any other source."
	The Animal Procedures Committee carried out a review of the cost-benefit assessment in the use of animals in research and reported on this in June 2003. That report clearly states that
	An absolute position that all animal experiments are scientifically invalid is untenable examples of scientifically dubious or invalid animal experiments do not add up to a general proof that animal experimentation as a whole is flawed science."
	In 2005 the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, in their report The Ethics of Research Involving Animals", stated that
	Animal research has been, and can potentially be, scientifically valid, in that it is possible to extrapolate from animal models to humans (or other animals) in specific cases (and) certain animal models have played significant roles in the study of particular diseases and led to the discovery of treatments for human diseases".
	The report also states that
	producing a new medicine is a lengthy and complex process, and that decisions on the compounds that should proceed to the next stage are taken using a wide range of information. Tests on animals play a vital role, but they are not the only source of information that is used to determine safety and efficacy."
	We believe these views reflect those of the great majority in the wider scientific community.

Asylum/Immigration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been deported to Zimbabwe from the UK since 2001.

Tony McNulty: Information on the destination of asylum removals has only been recorded since the start of 2004.
	The latest published information on removal of asylum seekers covers the second quarter of 2005.
	Information on removals of asylum seekers for the third quarter of 2005 will be published later this year on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
	
		Removals and voluntary departures(3) of principal asylum applicants, all nationalities to Zimbabwe, 2004 to 2005 Q2(4)(5508430005) -- Number of persons
		
			  2004 2005 
			 Type of removal Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 
		
		
			 Total persons removed(6)(5508430007) 15 15 25 50 95 105 
			
			 of whom:   
			 Persons removed as a result of enforcement action(7)(5508430008)(9) 5 10 10 30 70 75 
			
			 of whom:   
			 Persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes(10) 15 10 15 20 25 30 
		
	
	(3)Under sections 3(6), 3(7) or 33(1) of the Immigration Act 1971, or under section 10 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.
	(4)Figures rounded to the nearest five. Data may not sum due to rounding.
	(5)Provisional.
	(6)Including persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them.
	(7)Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, excluding dependants.
	(8)Due to a change in the working practices of IND all asylum removals are now classed as enforced removals. Therefore there are no longer any asylum removals classed as Refused entry at port and subsequently removed", and so the figures for 2004 are not directly comparable with previous years. This reclassification has no affect on the total removals recorded for 2004. This reclassification occurred in February 2003 and so applied to all asylum removals conducted in 2004. This change does not affect non-asylum removals.
	(9)Excludes assisted voluntary returns.
	(10)Persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration. May include some on-entry cases and some cases where enforcement action has been initiated.

Asylum/Immigration

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on the deportation of failed asylum seekers from the UK who are (a) enrolled in a school or college and (b) due to sit examinations for (i) GCSEs or (ii) A-levels in the year they were deported; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: We will seek to remove failed asylum seekers who have no lawful basis of stay in the UK and who do not choose to leave voluntarily. In cases involving families, pastoral visits will normally be undertaken prior to removal to establish any factors which may impact on the timing of any removal. This may include any imminent examinations leading to a significant qualification.
	
		Removals of failed minor asylum seekers by quarter for 2004 and 2005(11)
		
			  2004 2005 
			  Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total Q1 Q2 
		
		
			 Adult 3,485 3,290 3,180 3,030 12,985 3,075 3,160 
			 Minor 605 485 400 405 1,895 365 425 
			 Unknown(12) 10 10 10 5 30 0 5 
			 Grand total 4,100 3,780 3,585 3,440 14,905 3,445 3,590 
		
	
	(11)Minors defined as under 18 on the date of their removal.
	(12)For those where no date of birth is available.
	Notes:
	1.This is based on provisional management information.
	2.The above figures have been rounded to the nearest five and totals may not sum.

Asylum/Immigration

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of female asylum seekers were pregnant on application for asylum in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: Information on how many female asylum seekers are pregnant on application for asylum is not available. Information on asylum applications by sex is published annually. Copies are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum/Immigration

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the immigration and nationality directorate's protocol is for returning personal documentation to failed asylum seekers.

Tony McNulty: The immigration and nationality directorate will take all reasonable steps to return personal documentation to asylum seekers whose claims have been rejected. The process for returning these documents depends on the circumstances of the person's case.

Asylum/Immigration

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether the immigration and nationality directorate review of managed migration routes has resulted in (a) the suspension of and (b) delay to applications from Commonwealth citizens residing in the UK under the ancestral visa scheme for indefinite leave to remain;
	(2)  how many individuals from each Commonwealth country have had applications through the ancestral visa scheme for indefinite leave to remain (a) delayed and (b) suspended since the outset of the review of managed migration routes.

Tony McNulty: Concern about possible abuse of the UK ancestry route was identified during the course of the top-to-bottom review of managed migration routes launched by the Prime Minister in April 2004. The review found evidence of suspected abuse of the ancestral visa route from Zimbabweans, which has therefore resulted in suspension and delay of these applications. The suspension on decision making relatesonly to those UK ancestry cases submitted by Zimbabwean nationals and has affected approximately 300 indefinite leave to remain applications.
	It is only right that the immigration and nationality directorate (IND) should take all actions necessary to identify the level of abuse and put in place measures to prevent it, and I regret any delay this creates for bona fide applicants. However I am pleased to announce that the investigation is now at such a stage that consideration of UK ancestry cases from Zimbabwean nationals can now be resumed.
	We are currently consulting on a new points based system for managed migration to cover routes to work, study and train in the UK. As we develop the new system, we will consider how it relates to existing routes such as UK ancestry, and will assess the possible impact before making changes.

Asylum/Immigration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the penalty is for lorry drivers who allow illegal immigrants to enter the UK in their lorry.

Tony McNulty: The civil penalty regime, as amended by the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, enables the imposition of a penalty on drivers, owners, operators and hirers of transporters of up to a maximum of £2,000 per clandestine entrant carried to the UK or to a UK immigration control operated in a prescribed zone. In cases where liability is incurred, the level of penalty: code of practice sets out the factors to be taken into consideration when setting the amount of penalty.

Basic Command Units

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which 20 basic command units have showed the greatest improvement in respect of (a) crime detection rates and (b) reported crime levels over the last 12 months.

Hazel Blears: The most recently published statistics for crime and detections in a local area are those for 2004–05, which show a 6.2 per cent. reduction in recorded crime and a 1.8 per cent. improvement in crime detection. Compared with the previous year, the 20 police basic command units (BCUs) showing the greatest improvements in detection rate for this period are shown in table A.
	The 20 BCUs with the greatest reductions in recorded crime levels are shown in table B.
	BCUs are shown as they are currently constituted and the figures are adjusted for previous boundary changes.
	
		Table A: Detection rate
		
			  2003–04 (percentage) 2004–05 (percentage) Improvement (pt) 
		
		
			 Metropolitan police—Tower Hamlets 11.8 23.0 11.2 
			 North Wales—Central 31.0 41.5 10.6 
			 Metropolitan police—Brent 14.5 24.8 10.3 
			 North Wales—Western 38.4 48.6 10.1 
			 Metropolitan police—Hackney 13.3 22.3 9.0 
			 North Wales—Eastern 30.6 38.6 8.0 
			 North Yorkshire—Central 26.4 34.4 8.0 
			 Metropolitan police—Hillingdon 15.0 22.8 7.8 
			 West Yorkshire—Calderdale 17.4 25.1 7.7 
			 Metropolitan police—Waltham Forest 13.7 21.4 7.7 
			 Metropolitan police—Harrow 14.5 22.2 7.7 
			 Metropolitan police—Southwark 13.1 20.5 7.5 
			 Metropolitan police—Greenwich 13.2 20.6 7.4 
			 West Yorkshire—Bradford North 18.0 25.3 7.3 
			 Metropolitan police—Kingston-upon-Thames 14.1 21.4 7.3 
			 Bedfordshire—Luton 22.2 29.4 7.2 
			 North Yorkshire—Western 28.5 35.7 7.2 
			 Cleveland—Hartlepool 22.5 29.6 7.1 
			 Surrey—West Surrey 24.5 31.5 7.0 
			 West Yorkshire—Chapeltown 20.5 27.5 7.0 
		
	
	
		Table B: Notifiable crimes
		
			  2003–04 2004–05 Crime reduction (percentage) 
		
		
			 West Yorkshire—Calderdale 27,626 20,991 -24.0 
			 West Midlands—J2 (Dudley South) 15,701 12,079 -23.1 
			 West Midlands—F2 (Rose Road) 12,275 9,465 -22.9 
			 West Yorkshire—Wakefield 48,302 37,573 -22.2 
			 West Midlands—K1 (North Sandwell) 19,316 15,155 -21.5 
			 West Midlands—K2 (South Sandwell) 19,136 15,093 -21.1 
			 Cleveland—Hartlepool 14,012 11,134 -20.5 
			 Derbyshire—Chesterfield (C Division) 24,805 19,724 -20.5 
			 North Yorkshire—Central 35,984 28,692 -20.3 
			 West Midlands—E3 (Belgrave Road) 12,468 9,950 -20.2 
			 West Midlands—D2 (Sutton Coldfield) 20,002 16,014 -19.9 
			 West Yorkshire—Pudsey and Weetwood 44,334 35,951 -18.9 
			 West Midlands—E2 (Kings Heath) 14,704 11,962 -18.6 
			 West Yorkshire—Kirklees 52,272 42,535 -18.6 
			 West Yorkshire—Bradford North 24,305 19,825 -18.4 
			 West Yorkshire—Bradford South 28,734 23,721 -17.4 
			 West Yorkshire—City and Holbeck 39,885 32,987 -17.3 
			 West Yorkshire—Killingbeck 21,459 17,791 -17.1 
			 West Yorkshire—Keighley 18,625 15,485 -16.9 
			 West Yorkshire—Chapeltown 20,014 16,675 -16.7

British Crime Survey

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of Londoners were recorded by the British Crime Survey as (a) having a high level of worry about violent crime, (b) perceiving local levels of disorder as high and (c) experiencing a high level of perceived anti-social behaviour in (i) 2002–03 and (ii)2003–04, broken down by borough.

Hazel Blears: The British Crime Survey (BCS) is not able to provide estimates at more local level than police force area (PFA). Regional data are, however, available.
	In 2003–04, 22 per cent. of people in the London region had a high level of worry about violent crime and 25 per cent. of people perceived a high level of disorder in their local area, compared to 29 and 34 per cent. respectively in 2002–03.
	Perceiving a high-level of disorder (also termed the overall antisocial behaviour measure) is defined here from responses to five disorder strands (the BVPI 122 measure). Perceiving a high-level of disorder has since been redefined, and is now derived from responses to seven individual disorder strands, see Dodd et al. 2004 (HOSB 10/04) for further detail.

Call Centres

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the HomeDepartment how many call centres were run by his Department and its agencies in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and (iii)received an engaged tone in each year.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office has eight call centres as defined by the DTI and their performance since March 2003 is shown in the table.
	An abandoned call (also referred to as a lost call) is taken as one where the caller has hung up before an agent has answered due to the caller choosing to discontinue the call for any one of a variety of reasons, including wrong numbers and waiting times. No records are held in respect of the number of callers who received an engaged tone.
	The Home Office's central Public Enquiry Service and Adelphi Service Centre do not fall within the DTI definition of call centre.
	
		Home Office call centres volume of call received and performance
		
			  2003–04 
			  Calls handled by an advisor Calls abandoned 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Immigration and Nationality Enquiry Bureau 1,268,436  (13)—;  
			 Work permits UK (13)—; (13)—; (13)—; (13)—; 
			 Nationality Helpdesk(14) (15)—; (15)—; (15)—; (15)—; 
			 Employer's Helpline 27,396 96.9 876 3.1 
			 MP's Hotline 22,252 97.6 552 2.4 
			 Central Home Office Switchboard (16)— (16)— (16)— (16)— 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 1,285,632 98 29,243 2.2 
			 Security Industry Authority(17) (18)— (18)— (18)— (18)— 
		
	
	
		
			  2004–05 
			  Calls handled by an advisor Calls abandoned 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Immigration and Nationality Enquiry Bureau 1,293 83.3 259,840 16.7 
			 Work permits UK (13)—; (13)—; (13)—; (13)—; 
			 Nationality Helpdesk(14) (15)—; (15)—; (15)—; (15)—; 
			 Employer's Helpline 82,470 94.8 4,560 5.2 
			 MP's Hotline 31,226 94.6 1,792 5.4 
			 Central Home Office Switchboard (16)— (16)— (16)— (16)— 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 1,350,399 97.3 37,6874 2.7 
			 Security Industry Authority(17) 155,590 97 (19)—  
		
	
	
		
			  2005–06 
			  Calls handled by an advisor Calls abandoned 
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Immigration and Nationality Enquiry Bureau 782,397 88.5 101,426 11.5 
			 Work permits UK 33,500 46.1 39,500 53.9 
			 Nationality Helpdesk(14) 71,146 76.7 21,626 23.3 
			 Employer's Helpline 50,997 96.2 2,005 3.8 
			 MP's Hotline 18,134 92.3 1,509 7.7 
			 Central Home Office Switchboard 83,486 94.9 4,509 5.1 
			 Criminal Records Bureau 699,711 97.9 14,756 2.1 
			 Security Industry Authority(17) 101,215 89.0 12,545 11.0 
		
	
	(13)Unavailable
	(14)The Nationality Helpdesk became operated in January 2005.
	(15)Did not exist.
	(16)Data only available at disproportionate cost.
	(17)he SIA have established a linkline busy message for callers who would otherwise receive an engaged tone.
	(18)ot available
	(19)ot available for entire period.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer question 18435 tabled on 13 October 2005; what the reason is for the delay in replying; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: A reply to question 18435 has now been published. I apologise for the delay, which was solely due to administrative error.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 6 April from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, (acknowledgement ref B8243/5 dated 1 June) on behalf of Dr. Zade Limondein, Home Office reference H1080798.

Tony McNulty: The immigration and nationality directorate replied to my right hon. Friend on 24 November.

Court Statistics

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to his answer of 12 July 2005, Official Report, column 910W, on off licence sales, what the equivalent figures were for 2004;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Brent East (Sarah Teather), of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2508W, on abductions, what the equivalent figures were for 2004;
	(3)  pursuant to his answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2621W, on under-age drinking and alcohol sales, how many convictions there were in (a) England, (b) each Government office region and (c) each London borough in 2004.

Hazel Blears: Statistics on court proceedings are due to be published in late November.

Crime (Hemel Hempstead)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to address the movement of experienced criminal investigators from Hertfordshire to other police forces; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Police officers may choose to move from one force to another if they are successful in applying for posts. The Hertfordshire Constabulary, like all forces, has a range of pay and other incentives to retain officers in particular posts. These include the south east regional allowance and special priority payments.

Departmental Employees

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the 10 highest-paid employees in his Department; what the (a) job title and (b) salary including bonuses is of each; and whether the individual concerned is (i) a civil servant and (ii) a contractor in each case.

Charles Clarke: It is not possible to list the 10 highest paid employees in the Home Office broken down by the criteria requested. Such an approach would identify individual jobholders and their remuneration details.
	The 10 posts listed are the 10 highest paid in the Home Office. Jobholders in these posts are paid within the quoted pay bands. All are Civil Servants:
	Permanent Under Secretary of State pay scale
	Payband £130,350 to £264,250 p.a.
	Permanent Under Secretary of State
	Senior Civil Service Payband 3
	Payband £93,139 to £198,197 p.a.
	Chief Executive, Forensic Science Service
	Director General, Crime Reduction and Community Safety
	Director General, Criminal Justice Systems IT
	Director General, Finance and Commercial
	Director General, Immigration and Nationality Directorate
	Director General, HM Prison Service
	Legal Adviser
	Senior Civil Service Payband 2
	Minimum £75,607 to £159,659 p.a.
	Senior Director Managed Migration, Immigration and Nationality Directorate
	Director of Strategy
	Bonus payments are available to Home Office senior civil service jobholders, in accordance with guidance issued annually from Cabinet Office.
	Bonus arrangements for the appraisal year 2004–05 are summarised in the following list:
	75 per cent. of the SCS jobholder group were eligible for consideration under the bonus arrangements
	Bonus payments ranged between £3,000 and £15,000
	Information about civil service reward, including arrangements for colleagues at senior levels, is available at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/index.asp

Departmental Funding

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding was allocated by his Department to Hemel Hempstead constituency for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last eight years.

Charles Clarke: The answer to the question is in the following table.
	The location where Government funds are spent is a matter for Departments to decide. Chapter 8 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis shows the outturn of public expenditure by region. However while, generally, there are no records of funding spent specifically on Hemel Hempstead there has been funding sent to Hertfordshire county council (CC) and similar equivalent bodies for which the following information is given. N/A means not applicable and except for the Home Office Police Grant and the Police Capital grant all the 1997–98 figures are the same as the 1998–99.
	
		Office For criminal justice reform -- £
		
			 Payment/grant name and type 2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 2000–01 1999–2000 1998–99 and 1997–98 
		
		
			 Local performance and delivery support unit funding to Hertfordshire local criminal justice bd—revenue 131,200 40,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	Note:
	The funding for 2005–06 is £175,810.
	
		Dacorum crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) (including Hemel Hempstead) -- £
		
			 Payment/grant name and type 2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 2000–01 1999–2000 1998–99 and 1997–98 
		
		
			 Crime Reduction Programme
			 Capital n/a n/a n/a (20)— (20)— (20)— n/a 
			 Revenue n/a n/a n/a (20)— (20)— (20)— n/a 
			 
			 Small Retailers in Deprived Areas
			 Capital n/a 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Revenue n/a 0 0 0 n/a n/a n/a 
			 
			 Partnership Development Fund
			 Capital n/a n/a 0 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Revenue n/a n/a (21)1,550,000 (21)680,000 10,000 n/a n/a 
			 
			 Communities Against Drugs
			 Capital n/a n/a 36,890 36,890 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Revenue n/a n/a 71,610 71,610 n/a n/a n/a 
			 
			 Safer Communities Initiative
			 Capital n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Revenue n/a n/a 34,030 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 
			 Building Safer Communities Fund
			 Capital 40,785 39,790 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Revenue 110,271 107,582 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 
			 Home Office Regional Directors' Allocation
			 Capital (21)272,025 (21)272,025 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Revenue (21)735,475 (21)735,475 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 
			 BCU Fund
			 Capital n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Revenue (22)177,869 (22)177,869 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	(20)The Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) was a multi-million pound intervention programme running for three years from April 1999 was never calculated down to constituency level. The effectiveness of each initiative was evaluated to add to the knowledge base of what works in reducing crime in England and Wales. Over £340 million has been committed to over 1,470 projects in England and Wales under the various initiatives that formed part of the Crime Reduction Programme. Figures are not available for constituency or CDRP level. The CRP funded projects rather than allocated money to CDRPs.
	(21)These figures are the regional figures for the whole of the Eastern Region, and cannot be further broken down.
	(22)These figures relate to funds allocated to the Western BCU within Hertfordshire police force.
	
		Drug strategy funding -- £
		
			 Payment/grant name and type 2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 2000–01 1999–2000 1998–99 and 1997–98 
		
		
			 Capital Nil Nil Nil Nil n/a n/a n/a 
			 Revenue 6,393,000 5,316,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The funding for 2005–06 is £7,357,205.
	2.These figures are for direct annual expenditure for tackling drug misuse and include allocations to Hertfordshire drug action team from the following funding streams:
	Building Safer Communities
	Drug Interventions Programme Main Grant
	Drug Strategy Partnership Support Grant
	Pooled Treatment Budget
	Young People Substance Misuse Partnership Grant
	3.Figures for previous years are not available on a comparable basis.
	
		Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) -- £
		
			 Payment/grant name and type 2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 2000–01 1999–2000 1998–99 and 1997–98 
		
		
			 Hertfordshire CC local authority grants adults and families 
			 Capital 0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a 
			 Revenue 1,144,392 1,552,552 1,287,715 4,083,041 4,513,420 2,409,669 n/a 
			 Hertfordshire CC local authority grants unaccompanied asylum seeking children 
			 Capital 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Revenue 2,079,587 1,025,700 649,307 1,016,179 882,260 n/a n/a 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.IND Payments for 2004/05 are payments on account and subject to change.
	2.Figures for 1999–2000 grants for unaccompanied asylum seeking children were paid by Department of Health and not the Home Office's National Asylum Support Service. Figures for 1998–99 and 1997–98 are not available as they were not paid by not Home Office's National Asylum Support Service.
	
		Hertfordshire police funding -- £000
		
			 Payment/grant name and type 2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 2000–01(23) 1999–2000 1998–99 and 1997–98 
		
		
			 Home Office Police Grant(24)
			 Revenue 66,003 64,816 61,940 62,172 60,647 51,868 48,343 
			47,466 
			 Police capital grant
			 Capital 1,716 1,493 1,345 1,234 1,254 1,842 1,266 
			1,044 
			 Specific grants(25)
			 Revenue 7,870 7,368 4,822 1,682 224 n/a n/a 
			 Capital 268 500 2,247 3,045 n/a n/a n/a 
			 
			 (Specific grants comprised of:)
			 Crime Fighting Fund 3,306 3,112 2,626 976 n/a n/a n/a 
			 DNA Expansion Programme 918 875 1,028 706 224 n/a n/a 
			 South East Allowance 7,555 1,340 1,007 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Basic Command Unit Fund 559 559 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Community Support Officers 652 609 161 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Special Priority Payments 854 580 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Airwave—Revenue 26 293 1247 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Airwave—Capital 268 0 1,247 3,045 n/a n/a n/a 
			 Premises Improvement Fund n/a 500 1,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	(23)As of April 2000, the Metropolitan Police District was reduced in size by a transfer of responsibility for policing some areas to the surrounding forces, including Hertfordshire. These changes need to be borne in mind when comparing figures before and after April 2000.
	(24)General police grant includes Home Office police grants plus ODPM Revenue Support Grant and NNDR. The figures provided exclude the amounts from ODPM. Figures include £3.0 million in 1999–2000, £2.75 million in 2000–01, £627,000 in 2001–02 and £300,000 in 2002–03 for the transitional costs associated with changes in boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District from April 2000.
	(25)Specific grants include Crime Fighting Fund, DNA Expansion Programme, BCD Fund, South East Allowance, Community Support Officers, Special Priority Payments, Airwave and Premises Improvement Fund.

Departmental Press Office

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many phone calls his Department's press office has (a) received and (b) answered in each month since January 2004.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not collate data on the number of calls received or answered across the whole of the press office. However an automated call log system is in place for its Newsdesk which receives a significant proportion of calls from the press. Data on these calls, received and answered, from January 2004 until October 2005, are contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Date Calls received Calls answered 
		
		
			 2004   
			 January 6,348 5,916 
			 February 7,052 6,379 
			 March(26) 6,511 6,039 
			 April 5,816 5,457 
			 May 4,752 4,444 
			 June 5,794 5,214 
			 July(27) 6,890 6,054 
			 August 5,567 4,872 
			 September 5,031 4,444 
			 October(28) 5,110 4,539 
			 November 5,693 4,854 
			 December(29) 4,900 4,275 
			
			 2005   
			 January(30) 4,880 4,273 
			 February(31) 3,341 2,520 
			 March 5,642 5,079 
			 April 3,312 3,011 
			 May 3,290 2,998 
			 June 5,241 4,755 
			 July 5,003 4,549 
			 August 5,695 5,298 
			 September 4,722 4,377 
			 October 5,046 4,723 
			
			 Total 115,636 104,070 
		
	
	(26)The call total for 1 and 2 March 2004 may not be accurate.
	(27)The call total for 1 July 2004 may not be accurate.
	(28)The call total for 1 October 2004 may not be accurate.
	(29)The call total for 1 December 2004 may not be accurate.
	(30)Call data for 31 January 2005 is not retrievable and consequently is not included in the total.
	(31)Due to the Home Office's move from Queen Anne's Gate to 2Marsham Street, the call log equipment was not in operation for the full month.
	Note:
	Due to data error, daily call logs for 1 and 2 March 2004, 1 July 2004, 1 October 2004 and 1 December 2004 have been added twice to the respective monthly totals. Additionally, data for 31 January 2005 is not retrievable and consequently is missing from that month's total.

Departmental Spending

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2005, Official Report, column 650W, on departmental spending, how much his Department paid to Annes Gate Property plc for the development of the new building at 2 Marsham Street.

Charles Clarke: 2 Marsham Street is occupied under a PFI contract which provides for an annual combined charge that covers land cost, design and construction costs, fit out costs, whole life maintenance and facilities management services. The combined charge for financial year 2005–06 is estimated to be £32.7 million.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

Charles Clarke: In accordance with the Cabinet Office guidance, the Home Office uses a variety of methods to assess an applicant's literacy and numeracy skills during the recruitment process.
	These include competency based application forms, the use of specific tests of ability, aptitude or potential, and Assessment Centres for staff entering the service at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Grade 7 level. For both of our Assessment Centres, candidates are presented with materials in written form and this provides a substantial test of literacy skills. Certain exercises we use include numerical material also.

Departmental Staff

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the director of human resources in his Department is; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details of his or her career are to date.

Charles Clarke: The group director of Human Resources is John Marsh. He has a postgraduate degree in industrial relations. He has been Human Resources director in the Home Office since 2003. He was previously head of the Personnel Management group in Her Majesty's Prison Service, and has held a variety of posts across Government since 1986.

Departmental Staff

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for managing the estates of his Department; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date.

Charles Clarke: Responsibility for managing the central estate of the Department rests with the Buildings and Estate Management Unit. Responsibility is otherwise devolved to the respective business areas, for instance the National Offender Management Service and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate who manage their respective estates, working within the policy guidance issued by the Buildings and Estates Management Unit. This unit is headed by Tony Edwards FRICS, an experienced and senior chartered surveyor with extensive estate management experience.
	The organisation of estate management within the Department is the subject of a reform programme which will establish a small group head quarters estates team responsible for policy and estates strategy and two new estates shared services which will manage respectively the Department's general office estates and its custodial estates. The shared services are planned to start operating from summer 2006.

Deportees

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list people who have been deported from the UK to face terrorist charges overseas since September 2001, broken down by country to which they were deported; and whether each was deported willingly.

Tony McNulty: Under current immigration law there are no provisions to deport anyone solely to face terrorist charges abroad.
	Pursuant to extradition requests, one individual was surrendered to Italy in 2002 on charges of dealing in false documents, purportedly for terrorist purposes. Another individual was surrendered to the Netherlands in July 2005 for terrorist related charges.

Detentions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been detained indefinitely under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001.

Charles Clarke: Part four of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 was repealed in March 2005. No one is therefore detained under this power.

Farj Hassan Faraj

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 November 2005, Official Report, columns 1259–66W, on Farj Hassan Faraj, when he expects to complete his consideration of Farj Hassan Faraj's immigration position; and under what powers he is being detained.

Tony McNulty: On 10 October 2005, the Italian authorities withdrew their extradition request for Mr.Farj Hassan Faraj.
	Mr. Farj was then transferred to immigration custody and continues to be detained under immigration powers. Mr. Farj's immigration position is currently under active review.

Funding (Milton Keynes)

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding was allocated by his Department to Milton Keynes for (i) capital projects and (ii) revenue funding in each of the last five years.

Charles Clarke: The answer to the question is in the following tables:
	The location where Government funds are spent is a matter for Departments to decide. Chapter eight of Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis shows the outturn of public expenditure by region. However, the following information is given concerning Milton Keynes.
	
		£
		
			 Payment/grant name 2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 2000–01 
		
		
			 Race Equality Unit  
			 Connecting Communities Grant Round two funding to Milton Keynes Race Equality Council (REC): Revenue(33) 59,984 46,540 (32)— (32)— (32)— 
			   
			 Active Community Unit  
			 Capital Modernisation Programme funding to Milton Keynes Council of Voluntary Organisations (CVO): Revenue (32)— (32)— (32)— 175,000 (32)— 
			   
			 Immigration and Nationality 
			 Milton Keynes Council Local Authority Grants—adults and Families Revenue 152,396 433,032 503,178 1,082,188 1,851,130 
			 Milton Keynes Council Local Authority Grants—Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children Revenue 284,675 359,441 399,196 163,472 15,665 
			   
			 Drug Strategy  
			 Milton Keynes Drug Action Team—Revenue 1,546,000 1,384,000 (32)— (32)— (32)— 
			   
			 Criminal Justice  
			 Funding allocated by Local Performance and Delivery Support Unit to Thames Valley Local Criminal Justice Board, since it was established in April 2003: Revenue(34) 240,000 65,000 (32)— (32)— (32)— 
		
	
	(32)Not applicable
	(33)The 2005–06 funding is £55,984
	(34)Further estimated funding for 2005–06 is £303,672. No funding specifically allocated by the Local Performance and Delivery Support Unit to Milton Keynes. Funding has been provided to Thames Valley Local Criminal Justice Board but information is not held centrally on whether or not any of the revenue funding was spent specifically on Milton Keynes.
	Notes:
	1.The Drug Strategy Funding figures are for direct annual expenditure for tackling drug misuse and include allocations to Milton Keynes Drug Action Team from the following funding streams:
	Building Safer Communities
	Drug Interventions Programme Main Grant
	Drug Strategy Partnership Support Grant
	Pooled Treatment Budget
	Young People Substance Misuse Partnership Grant
	2.Drug strategy funding for Milton Keynes Drug Action Team in 2005–06 is £1,844,791.
	3.Figures for previous years are not available on a comparable basis.
	
		Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) -- £
		
			 Payment/grant name and type 2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 2000–01 
		
		
			 CRP  
			 Capital (35)— (35)— (35)— (36)— (36)— 
			 Revenue (35)— (35)— (35)— (36)— (36)— 
			   
			 Small Retailers in Deprived Areas (SRDA)  
			 Capital (35)— 0 0 0 (35)— 
			 Revenue (35)— 0 0 0 (35)— 
			   
			 Partnership Development Fund (PDF)  
			 Capital (35)— (35)— 0 0 0 
			 Revenue (35)— (35)— (37)2,000,000 (37)680,000 0 
			   
			 Communities Against Drugs (CAD)  
			 Capital (35)— (35)— 122,782 50,976 (35)— 
			 Revenue (35)— (35)— 238,343 137,824 (35)— 
			   
			 Safer Communities Initiative  
			 Capital (35)— (35)— (35)— (35)— (35)— 
			 Revenue (35)— (35)— 67,467 (35)— (35)— 
			 Building Safer Communities Fund (BSCF)  
			 Capital 73,223 71,437 (35)— (35)— (35)— 
			 Revenue 197,973 193,145 (35)— (35)— (35)— 
			   
			 Home Office Regional Directors' Allocation (HORDs)  
			 Capital (37)347,436 (37)347,436 (35)— (35)— (35)— 
			 Revenue (37)939,364 (37)939,364 (35)— (35)— (35)— 
			   
			 BCU Fund  
			 Capital (35)— (35)— (35)— (35)— (35)— 
			 Revenue (38)187,755 (38)187,755 (35)— (35)— (35)— 
		
	
	(35)Not applicable.
	(36)The Crime Reduction programme (CRP) was a multi-million pound intervention programme running for three years from April 1999. The effectiveness of each initiative was evaluated to add to the knowledge base of what works in reducing crime in England and Wales. Over £340 million has been committed to over 1,470 projects in England and Wales under the various initiatives that formed part of the Crime Reduction programme. Figures are not available for constituency or CDRP level. The CRP funded projects rather than allocated money to CDRPs.
	(37)The figures relate to the regional figures for the whole south east region and cannot be further broken down.
	(38)The figures relate to allocated funds to Milton Keynes BCU within the Thames Valley police force area.
	
		Thames Valley Police Funding -- £000
		
			 Payment/grant name 2004–05 2003–04 2002–03 2001–02 2000–01 
		
		
			 Home Office Police Grant(39)  
			 Revenue 139,463 134,382 132,223 122,387 122,843 
			   
			 Police capital grant Capital  
			 Capital 4,311 3,505 (40)3,165 2,657 (40)3,124 
			   
			 Specific grants(41)  
			 Revenue 20,674 19,727 14,698 6,906 1,846 
			 Capital 540 500 3,013 6,138 (42)— 
			   
			 Specific grants comprised of:  
			 Crime Fighting Fund 9,929 9,451 7,980 3,856 713 
			 Rural Policing Fund 1,241 1,245 1,262 1,263 630 
			 DNA Expansion Programme 1,813 2,064 2,379 1,787 503 
			 Street Crime Initiative 1,348 1,348 1,500 (42)— (42)— 
			 South East Allowance 2,547 2,024 1,577 (42)— (42)— 
			 Basic Command Unit Fund 1,715 1,715 (42)— (42)— (42)— 
			 Community Support Officers 455 65 (42)— (42)— (42)— 
			 Special Priority Payments 1,574 1,141 (42)— (42)— (42)— 
			   
			 Airwave  
			 Revenue 52 674 (42)— (42)— (42)— 
			 Capital 540 0 2,514 6,138 (42)— 
			 Premises Improvement Fund (42)— 500 499 (42)— (42)— 
		
	
	(39)General police grants include Home Office police grants plus ODPM Revenue Support Grant and NNDR. The figures provided exclude the amounts from ODPM.
	(40)Includes an amount of Air Support
	(41)Specific grants include Crime Fighting Fund, Rural Policing Fund, DNA Expansion Programme, BCU Fund, Street Crime Initiative, South East Allowance, Community Support Officers, Special Priority Payments, Airwave and Premises Improvement Fund.
	(42)Not applicable.

Handcuffs

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the HomeDepartment what guidance has been provided to secure training centres about use of handcuffs on trainees.

Fiona Mactaggart: Guidance on the use of handcuffs is contained in the manual on Physical Control in Care (PCC). It is for individual secure training centres to decide whether handcuffs will be used. As with all forms of physical intervention, it is necessary in each situation where handcuffs are applied to show that their use was reasonable in the circumstances.

Identity Cards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the identity cards scheme has been subject to a Gateway Review.

Andy Burnham: The Identity Cards Programme has been through a Gateway zero Review in January 2004 and Gateway one Review in July 2005. The next Gateway Review is currently planned for early 2006.

Identity Cards

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how his Department plans to prevent the production of forged identity cards; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Identity Cards Scheme and the identity card itself, are being designed to prevent the successful production and use of forged identity cards.
	The identity card will be supported by an individual's record on the National Identity Register. The ability to either confirm the validity of the card or verify information electronically against the register using secure technologies means that forged cards will be ineffective, as they will be unable to make a connection to a valid record on the register.
	In addition to the electronic protection measures, the programme will endeavour to use physical characteristics which significantly reduce the viability of creating counterfeit or modified cards for simple visual verification.
	The card will be designed in accordance with physical anti-fraud measures required by International Civil Aviation Organisation standard 9303 and EU Council regulation 2252/2004. These requirements will be supplemented with the implementation of successful measures in use in industry, the results of research currently being conducted and experience gained through co-operating with document fraud units across Government.

Illegal Immigrants

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants have been found guilty of (a) murder and (b) violent offences in (i) Greater London and (ii) England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: The Prison Service does not record information on immigration status on the Inmate Information System.

KPMG Review

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 25 October 2005, Official Report, columns 349–50W if he will publish the KPMG review; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The executive summary of the report and the Home Office's response to the recommendations will be published shortly.

Leave to Remain

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants fromPoland have outstanding applications for leave to remain under the one-off exercise announced on 24 October 2003.

Tony McNulty: Up to and including 30 September 2005 there were 745 applicants from Poland with outstanding applications under the exercise.
	We will have completed consideration of the great majority of all outstanding cases by the end of April 2006.

Mohammed Zamir

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Mohmmed Zamir (reference number LR1643012061/1) will be informed of the outcome of his application for a variation of leave to remain in the United Kingdom made in July 2004.

Tony McNulty: I wrote to the hon. Member on 28 November 2005.

Parents (Learning Difficulties)

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice and support is available to a parent with learning difficulties when dealing with cases in the family court.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	In all family cases a parent with learning difficulties has the opportunity to be represented by a legal professional and given advice throughout proceedings.
	In public law care proceedings, the parent(s) will be legally represented. The nature of these proceedings mean that local social services will have been involved before the case comes before the court. The particular needs of the parent(s) will be highlighted in the application. Depending upon the circumstances of individual cases, the Official Solicitor may be involved or a lawyer with suitable experience.
	In private law proceedings, such as child contact cases, parties can seek a lawyer with suitable experience or the Official Solicitor may become involved if appointed by the court.

Police

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government would permit the amalgamation of two police forces located in different English regions.

Hazel Blears: We have made clear to the police service that the very strong starting presumption is that any new force areas should not cross Government Office regional boundaries. It follows that very strong arguments would need to be submitted in support of any merger proposals which were contrary to this presumption.

Police

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications for national security of recently retired senior police officers (a) commenting in the media about ongoing operational matters and (b) revealing intelligence to which they had access while serving as police officers.

Hazel Blears: The Government do not believe that any recent remarks by retired senior police officers have damaged national security.

Police

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects a new chief constable to be appointed to the Thames Valley Police Force.

Hazel Blears: Following the publication of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary's report 'Closing the gap', which concluded that the existing 43 force structure was no longer fit for purpose, police authorities and chief constables have been asked to submit proposals for restructuring by 23 December. Restructuring would commence in 2006 and be completed by April 2008. Against this backdrop, we have considered what arrangements should apply in the short term when chief officer vacancies arise. In his capacity as chair of the Senior Appointments Panel Sir Ronnie Flanagan, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, recently wrote to police authorities advising, except where specific approval had already been granted, not to proceed with existing or future plans to recruit new chief constables. Currently there are discussions between the Thames Valley police authority and Sir Ronnie Flanagan on how to address this particular situation and I would expect the police authority to make an announcement in due course.

Politically Exposed Persons

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations by law enforcement agencies resulting from suspicious activity reports in relation to (a) corrupt activity overseas and (b) foreign politically exposed persons have been (i)initiated, (ii) completed and (iii) abandoned in the last 12 months.

Charles Clarke: This information is not held centrally.

Politically Exposed Persons

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suspicious activity reports have been received by the National Criminal Intelligence Service relating to (a) corrupt activity overseas and (b) foreign politically exposed persons in the last 12 months.

Charles Clarke: The number of Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) received by the National Criminal intelligence Service (NCIS) which relate to the specified subjects since 1 February 2005 are as follows:
	(a) Corrupt activity overseas—26 SARs
	(b) Foreign politically exposed persons (PEPS)—199 SARs
	The figures at (a) relate to UK companies or individuals engaged in overseas activities.
	A database to register SARs referring specifically to PEPs was established by NCIS on 1 February 2005. The figures given here only reflect SARs recorded there since that date, and may involve single cases where activity is suspected in more than one jurisdiction.

Prisons

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to tackle institutional racism in prisons.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Prison Service Associate Race Equality Scheme published in May 2005 sets out the actions that the service will be taking over the next three years to tackle institutional racism in prisons. A copy of the scheme has been placed in the Library.

Terrorism

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to monitor the operation by the police of detentions and arrests under the Terrorism Acts.

Charles Clarke: Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000 governs the treatment and review of persons arrested and detained under section 41 of the Act. There are appropriate safeguards in place and detention is subject to regular review.
	There is also a limited power to detain in the case of a stop and search under the Act. Section 45 of the Act confers the power to detain a person only for the amount of time reasonably required to conduct a search authorised by virtue of section 44 of the Act. The Home Office stop and search manual provides guidance to police on all forms of stop and search to ensure the powers are used fairly and appropriately.
	The use of counter terrorism powers is also subject to the same PACE codes of practice where appropriate and where specific counter terrorism guidelines are not already in place.
	Under the Act, the Secretary of State is required to place a report on the operation of the whole Act before Parliament at least once every 12 months. The powers in the Act are thoroughly reviewed by an independent reviewer, currently Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, to ensure they are necessary, proportionate and used appropriately by the police.

Terrorism

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he had with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on extending the maximum pre-charge detention period for suspect terrorists to 90 days; if he will list each date the discussions took place; and who proposed that ACPO contact their members about possible correspondence with hon. Members.

Hazel Blears: Home Office Ministers and officials have had regular discussions with ACPO about the content of the Terrorism Bill.
	In the debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 2 November, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, suggested that over the weekend hon. Members discuss the counter-terrorism issues with their constituents, and highlighted the importance of professional advice from local police. On Thursday, 3 November, he suggested to ACPO that chief constables write to MPs in their police authority area, making themselves or relevant senior officers available to MPs, of all parties, who wanted to know their local police attitude to these issues. He naturally made clear that this should not be on a party political basis.
	Chief constables responded to this in a number of different ways ranging from doing nothing to setting out their views. The Government believes that it is entirely proper for the police service—who are tasked with protecting our security—to make the case for new powers which they have sought and which they feel are necessary to protect the nation, as they have done since July.

Vandalism

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for acts of vandalism in the West Lancashire area in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: There is no specific offence of vandalism. Most behaviour, which we understand as vandalism, would probably be covered by the offence of criminal damage, although the two might not always be exactly the same.
	The available information from the Home Office court proceedings database on the number of offenders found guilty of criminal damage in Lancashire police force area is contained in the table. It is not possible to identify those convicted in the West Lancashire area, as the data is not collected at this level of detail.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available late November.
	
		Number of offenders found guilty of criminal damage at all courts: Lancashire police force area 1997–2003(43)
		
			 Offence description Number of offenders 
		
		
			 Other criminal damage  Criminal damage (value of damage over £5,000)(44) 
			 1997 87 
			 1998 64 
			 1999 48 
			 2000 24 
			 2001 37 
			 2002 30 
			 2003 29 
			   
			 Criminal damage (value of damage £5,000 or less) and causing damage to an allotment through negligence or any unlawful act(45) 
			 1997 1,075 
			 1998 1,203 
			 1999 1,172 
			 2000 1,213 
			 2001 1,243 
			 2002 1,207 
			 2003 1,333 
		
	
	(43)These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(44)Principal statute—Criminal Damage Act 1971; Explosive Substances Act 1883; Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Area Act 1979; Post Office Act 1953; Malicious Damage Act 1861.
	(45)Principal statute— Criminal Damage Act 1971; Allotments Act 1922

War Criminals

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on the bringing to justice of suspected war criminals where evidence exists.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Government takes all allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity very seriously and is fully committed to its obligations under international law, which it has implemented through the Geneva Conventions Act 1957, the International Criminal Court Act 2001 and section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
	The prosecution of particular cases in England and Wales is a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The recent successful trial of Faryadi Zardad, found guilty in July 2005 of torture and hostage taking in Afghanistan, demonstrated the commitment on the part of the police and CPS to pursue major war crimes cases.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Assets

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2005, Official Report, column 963W, on departmental assets, what the (a) five items of art and antique furniture and (b) freehold properties are; and what the (i) value and (ii) annual cost of insurance is for each item or property.

Jim Murphy: The five items of art and antique furniture valued on the basis of insurance value are:
	1.Set of five carved gilt wood armchairs worth £500,000.
	2.Carved gilt wood furniture suite worth £500,000.
	3.Harewood commode worth £350,000.
	4.White marble bust of Oliver Cromwell worth £350,000.
	5.Antique wooden table known as the Treasury Table" worth £250,000.
	Insurance value represents our valuer's view of the likely cost of replacing the item valued with as near a comparable item as is available for purchase second hand. In many cases, direct replacement of the items would not be possible.
	The freehold properties stated at accounting net book value are:
	1.22–26 Whitehall at a value of £42,351,345.
	2.70 Whitehall at a value of £27,535,750.
	3.Admiralty Arch at a value of £25,932,875.
	4.No. 10–1, Downing street at a value of £23,625,942.
	5.Admiralty House at a value of £9,971,052.
	6.Emergency Planning College at The Hawkhills, Easingwold, Yorkshire at a value of £7,401,302.
	7.36 Whitehall at a value of £7,111,243.
	8.53 Parliament street at a value of £3,705,684.
	9.Civil Service Club, 13–15 Great Scotland Yard at a value of £3,079,655.
	10.Properties at Sunningdale Park, Ascot, Berkshire at a value of £2,182,391.
	These properties are valued on the basis of existing use value. The Government are unlikely to place certain of these properties onto the open market for sale.
	The Government do not purchase commercial insurance for the risks it faces as, in general, it is cheaper for the Government to cover its own risks.

Freedom of Information

Roger Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Freedom of Information applications his Department has received; how many have taken more than 20 days to process; and how manyof these gave rise to complaints about the time taken.

Jim Murphy: Between January and June 2005 the Cabinet Office received 967 Freedom of Information requests. Of these requests 157 took more than 20 working days to process but had an agreed extension and 180 took more than 20 working days to process with no agreed extension. The Cabinet Office does not hold information regarding the number of complaints about the time taken to process Freedom of Information requests.
	The Department for Constitutional Affairs is committed to publishing quarterly updates in relation to departmental performance under FOI, including information on both the volume and outcomes of requests. The bulletin for the second quarter was published on 30 September 2005 and can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/statsapr-jun05.htm and in the Library. The next bulletin will be published before Christmas, while an annual report will be published in early 2006.

SCOTLAND

Consultants

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what mechanisms are in place to assess the effectiveness of consultant-led projects in his Department; what sanctions are available to penalise consultants who run unsuccessful projects; how many projects conducted by consultants were assessed as unsuccessful in each year since 2000; and what sanctions were imposed in each case.

David Cairns: All projects in the Scotland Office are led by senior responsible owners who are civil servants; they may engage consultants to provide advice and assistance with the delivery of a project.
	When engaging consultants, the Office would include, as part of the contract, terms and conditions that would provide sanctions should they fail to meet their contractual obligations. That, in conjunction with appropriate robust contract management arrangements, ensures that consultants deliver work within the terms and conditions of their contract. If they were to breach their contract, the Office would exercise its legal rights under the contract.

Media Relations

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on external media relations in each year since 2001.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure on external media relations since 2001.

Ministerial Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent in each year from 1 May 1997 on ministerial travel, broken down by (a) provision and running costs of vehicular transport, (b) first class travel by rail, (c) standard class travel by rail, (d) first class travel by air, (e) club or equivalent class travel by air and (f) economy class travel by air.

David Cairns: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, has asked Roy Burke, Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) to write to the hon. Member with details of the costs of ministerial vehicles provided to Departments in 2004–05. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
	For information for the financial years 2000–01 to 2003–04, I refer the hon. Member to the letters from the GCDA chief executive to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) dated 10 January 2005 and to the then hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Howard Flight) dated 13 September 2003. Copies of these letters are available in the Library.
	In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet ministers costing£500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Library of the House. These report information for the financial years 1995–96 to 2004–05. Information for 2005–06 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year. Detailed analysis of other forms of ministerial travel could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Libraries of both Houses.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Aflatoxin

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of EU regulations on trace elements of the chemical aflatoxin on African producers of (a) nuts, (b) cereals and (c) dried fruits.

Hilary Benn: DFID supports a multi-donor funded programme that assists developing countries in improving their expertise and capacity to analyse and implement international sanitary and phytosanitary standards. It is a joint initiative between the World Trade Organisation, the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation. DFID is the biggest donor, contributing £850,000.
	The programme responds to developing countries' own priorities. Analysis of the impact of EU regulations on trace elements of the chemical aflatoxin on African producers, specifically on nuts, cereals or dried fruits would be supported through this programme at the request of African countries. This project, for example, supported a request from Malawi and Zambia to assist them to address post-harvest aflatoxin contamination in the paprika and groundnut sectors.
	The EC has provided technical assistance to developing countries to meet the EU regulations on aflatoxins and residues through seminars and technical workshops. Additionally a specific workshop for African countries will take place in Brussels next spring and there are additional opportunities for developing countries to become familiar with EU legislation on aflatoxins.
	DFID is currently strengthening its own capacity to assess the impact of existing and proposed EU sanitary and phytosanitary legislation, such as the regulations on trace elements of aflatoxin, for agricultural products on developing country producers.

Central Asia

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will increase aid to the Central Asia region (a) between 2005–06 and 2007–08 and (b) after 2007–08.

Gareth Thomas: In 2005–06, DFID has committed £9.43 million in bilateral aid to countries in the Central Asia region. We have also committed £4.52 million to a regional programme in Central Asia that aims to help prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.
	DFID aims to increase bilateral aid to two focal countries in Central Asia, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan. Bilateral aid allocations to these countries in 2005–06 are £5.6 million for Kyrgyz Republic and £3 million for Tajikistan. Allocations for the next two financial years have not yet been finalised. DFID aims to increase assistance to these two countries both bilaterally and through multilateral organisations, beyond 2007–08.

Commission for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps the Government have taken to implement the recommendations of the Commission for Africa;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of progress in meeting the recommendations of the Commission for Africa.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member for St. Ives (Andrew George) to the response I gave the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) on 3 November 2005, Official Report, columns 1295–96W.

Commission for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the contribution of the Commission for Africa to the objectives of achieving (a) conflict resolution, (b) good governance and (c) transparent and accountable government structures in African countries since the Commission reported in March.

Hilary Benn: The Commission for Africa (CfA) report emphasises the progress that has been made in Africa in recent years. Its recommendations have helped to clarify development objectives and emphasise the importance of peace and security, and good governance.
	On conflict resolution for example, the CfA recommended building the capacity of the African Union to prevent and resolve violent conflict. This was subsequently reflected in agreements at the G8 summit at Gleneagles to support the African Union's peace support operations, build up the African Standby Force for resolving conflicts, support development of an early warning system and establish a Panel of the Wise to mediate conflicts before they erupt into violence.
	The CfA took a strong line on good governance, stating that improvements are first and foremost the responsibility of African countries and people. But action by rich nations is also essential. This was also reflected in G8 agreements at Gleneagles, such as that to help the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) build African political and financial capacity and help African countries tackle their own issues.
	The CfA was also clear about the need for Africa and its partners to tackle corruption. Once again, this was reflected in commitments at Gleneagles, including increasing support to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and early ratification of the UN Convention against Corruption.
	The UK Government have regular meetings at ministerial level to discuss and monitor progress with implementing such G8 commitments and Commission for Africa recommendations. At the international level, the Africa Partnership Forum will be monitoring delivery of commitments on the basis of a joint action plan now being prepared.

Commission for Africa

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what on-going contribution the Commission for Africa is making to help deliver the recommendations of its report.

Hilary Benn: The Commission for Africa (CfA) was established in February 2004 and provided an opportunity to take a fresh look at Africa's past and present, the international community's role, and agree recommendations on the future. In line with the original design that the Commission for Africa would not be a permanent institution, the independent Secretariat closed on 1 August 2005. The UK Government have committed to reflect CfA recommendations in their policy and we are working with African and donor partners to support and monitor implementation.

Commission for Africa

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the time scale is for implementing the findings of the Commission for Africa report published in March; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Commission for Africa (CfA) report makes a wide range of recommendations with different time scales. When my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, launched the Commission for Africa (CfA) report on 11 March 2005, he committed to reflecting CfArecommendations in UK policy and proposed a mechanism to monitor implementation year by year.
	Many CfA recommendations have been reflected in commitments made by the G8 at Gleneagles and by the UN at the Millennium Review summit. The UK Government have regular meetings at ministerial level to discuss and monitor progress on G8 commitments and Commission for Africa follow up. The Prime Minister chaired such a meeting on 18 October and the next one is scheduled for 8 December.
	At the international level, the Africa Partnership Forum will be monitoring delivery of commitments on the basis of a Joint Action plan now being prepared. This will bring together the commitments of Africa and its development partners for the first time.

Consultants

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many contracts have been awarded by his Department to external consultancies in each year since 1997; and what the total value of such contracts was in each year.

Hilary Benn: The figures for financial years 1997–98 to 2004–05 are presented in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of contracts awarded Value of contracts awarded (£ million) Number of consultants used 
		
		
			 1997–98 1,995 242 816 
			 1998–99 2,213 235 866 
			 1999–2000 2,036 257 811 
			 2000–01 1,610 224 655 
			 2001–02 1,082 282 514 
			 2002–03 833 262 407 
			 2003–04 768 228 349 
			 2004–05 668 186 310 
		
	
	This does not include lower-value contracts issued by DFID's overseas offices. This information could be obtained only by incurring a disproportionate cost.

Consultants

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which contracts let to external consultants in each of the last five years included strategies for (a) local knowledge transfer and (b) capacity building.

Hilary Benn: DFID consultants' terms of reference commonly require them to promote knowledge transfer and help with capacity building in order to achieve programme objectives. DFID does not maintain a separate record of contracts with these specific purposes and the information required could not be produced without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Consultants

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what proportion of the contracts let by his Department to external consultants for work under the value of £100,000 (a) have and (b) have not been let competitively in each of the last five years.

Hilary Benn: The figures for the proportion of the contracts let by DFID to external consultants for work under the value of 100,000 which (a) have and (b) have not been let competitively in each of the last five years are set out in the table:
	
		
			  Contracts under £100,000 Let competitively Proportion (percentage) 
		
		
			 2000–01 1,327 74 5.5 
			 2001–02 902 52 5.7 
			 2002–03 672 69 10.2 
			 2003–04 631 38 6 
			 2004–05 572 26 4.5 
		
	
	The EU public procurement directives do not require mandatory competition in respect of business estimated to cost under £100,000.
	In practice, a large proportion of DFID's contracts worth less than £100,000 are called down from competitively tendered framework arrangements.
	DFID takes care to ensure value for money is achieved in all cases.

Consultants

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the contracts awarded in each of the last five years to (a) Maxwell Stamp plc, (b) HTS Consultants, (c) the British Council, (d) Adam Smith International Ltd. and (e) the Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations Ltd.; and what (i) the purpose for which the contract was awarded, (ii) the total value of the contract and (iii) the total expenditure on hosting consultants in the recipient country for the project was in each case.

Gareth Thomas: I shall arrange for copies of the document entitled Contracts awarded to Maxwell Stamp plc, HTS Consultants, British Council, Adam Smith International Ltd. and Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administration Ltd. between 2000–2005" to be placed in the Libraries of the House. The table detailed in this document does not include lower-value contracts issued by DFID's overseas offices, of which there is no consolidated central record. It would require disproportionate cost to produce a list of those contracts.
	Responsibility for arrangements and expenditures in the recipient country rests entirely with the consultants.

Consultants

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many external consultants used by his Department since 2001 have been based in (a) the recipient country for the project and (b) other countries.

Hilary Benn: The purpose of untying aid in 2001 was to enable DFID to engage consultants in any country to obtain best value for money. The required data have been recorded since April 2003. Information before that date and details of the contracts issued by DFID overseas offices is not held centrally, and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Consultant based in recipient country Consultant based elsewhere 
		
		
			 2003–04 196 572 
			 2004–05 186 482

Departmental Contracts (Direct Mail)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many contracts for direct mail were signed by the Department in (a) 2005–06 to date and (b) 2004–05; and what the value was in each case.

Hilary Benn: None.

Departmental Estate

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development who is responsible for running his Department's estate (a) in the UK and (b) overseas; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date.

Gareth Thomas: Responsibility for the running of DFID's estate in the UK falls to our Office Services and Security Department, headed by Gary James. He has over 20 years experience working in four Government Departments and has been in the current post for five years. He has received training in Health and Safety issues and holds an Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) certificate, but professional advice on general estates issues is provided to DFID by external consultants under framework agreements established by the Office of Government Commerce.
	The majority of our overseas offices are part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office estate. Office Services and Security Department also provide guidance and information to our remaining overseas offices but direct responsibility for managing these falls to our geographical Departments.

Departmental Finance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the real terms percentage increase in allocated resources for his Department (a) was for the period 1997–98 to 2004–05 and (b) is estimated to be between 2005–06 and 2007–08 (i) for each period and (ii) for each year.

Hilary Benn: The real terms increase in DFID's resource spending within the departmental expenditure limit (DEL) between 1998–99 and 2004–05 was 50.8 per cent. on a full resource budgeting basis. Direct comparisons cannot be made with 1997–98 as resource budgeting figures are not available for that year.
	Current plans are for resource spending within the DEL to increase by 17.7 per cent. in real terms between 2005–06 and 2007–08.
	The year on year changes in outturn and planned spending are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Outturn 
			  1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Resource DEL in nominal terms (£ million) 2,445 2,729 2,985 3,043 3,433 3,710 
			 Percentage change in real terms(46) — + 11.2 +9.2 +1.9 +12.5 +7.8 
		
	
	
		
			  2004–05 Estimated outturn 2005–06 Plans 2006–07 Plans 2007–08 Plans 
		
		
			 Resource DEL in nominal terms (£ million) 3,868 4,452 4,987 5,281 
			 Percentage change in real terms(46) 4.2 +14.8 +11.7 +5.7 
		
	
	(46)Real terms increases calculated using GDP deflators published by the Treasury.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will take steps to ensurethe Department's websites attain the W3C AAA standard of accessibility for people with visual and other disabilities; and if he will set a target date for this standard to be achieved by.

Gareth Thomas: The DFID website (www.dfid.gov.uk) has been rated AAA for accessibility in a Government-wide report 1 , one of only four central Government sites to achieve this.
	It is DFID's policy to ensure compliance with the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and Cabinet Office's e-government unit guidelines. Every HTML page that is published on the DFID website is checked using Bobby web accessibility checking software. Pages are only published when there are no errors at Priorities 1, 2 or 3. In 2005, our e-communications team was trained by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) in order to ensure that we continue to meet best practice.
	DFID's two standalone country sites DFID India (www.dfidindia.org) and DFID Bangladesh (www.dfidbangladesh.org) will meet accessibility requirements when they are integrated into the main DFID site in 2006.
	1 Nomensa: Web Accessibility in Central Government: An investigation into the Accessibility of 28 Central UK Government Web Sites" (January 2005)

Earthquake (Kashmir)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the outcome of the international donor conference on the earthquake in Kashmir.

Gareth Thomas: On 19 November, I attended the Pakistan earthquake donor conference in Islamabad and announced that the United Kingdom would contribute £70 million, (approximately $120 million), over three years for the reconstruction effort. This money will be used to support the Government of Pakistan's reconstruction programme, which includes the rebuilding and repair of schools, hospitals, electricity and water supplies, houses, and support for restoring people's livelihoods. In total, over $5.8 billion was pledged by the international community.
	For further information, I refer the hon. member for Boston and Skegness to the written statement made on 22 November 2005, Official Report, columns 104–06WS by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development.

Ethiopia

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the Government of Ethiopia on the recent shootings of civilians.

Hilary Benn: I spoke to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia on Sunday 6 November and expressed my deep concern at the use of live ammunition and the shooting of civilians. I made it clear that the events of the week beginning 31 October were profoundly affecting Ethiopia's international situation and that the international community was very concerned. I also encouraged Prime Minister Meles to give the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) or appropriate international representatives, access to detainees and to ensure that medical needs of detainees were being met.
	In addition, the UK, as EU presidency and international donors to Ethiopia, have issued public statements expressing serious concern about recent events, calling for restraint and dialogue, and announcing a review of development assistance.

Ethiopia

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action he has taken in respect of the United Kingdom's aid to Ethiopia in light of recent events in the country; what plans he has for such aid; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The UK has a planned programme to Ethiopia of £90 million this year and remains committed to reducing poverty in Ethiopia.
	Following election-related disturbances in June, Iannounced that I was putting on hold, a £20 million increase in Poverty Reduction Budget Support. No general budget support has been provided to Ethiopia from the UK so far this financial year. Following recent incidents in November, the UK is further reviewing its development assistance programme in close collaboration with other donors.
	The international donors in Ethiopia, including the UK, have issued a public statement (and a more detailed follow-up letter to the Government of Ethiopia) expressing serious concern about recent events, calling for restraint and dialogue, and announcing a review of development assistance.
	I have also spoken directly to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, expressing concern over the current situation and urging restraint.

EU Aid Commitments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the UK presidency has taken (a) to follow up and (b) to monitor implementation of EU commitments on aid to developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: The European Commission has a mandate from the Council of Ministers to report annually on EU commitments related to the Millennium Development Goals. The Commission sends out a questionnaire to each member state covering the aid volume and related commitments that were initially agreed in March 2002 and updated in May 2005. The Commission issued its questionnaire last month. The results will feed into a Commission Communication that is due to be published by March 2006. Development Ministers will discuss progress and agree conclusions on the communication when they meet in April 2006. This process provides a good opportunity for collective benchmarking and ensures that action taken by the Union is transparent.
	The annual monitoring process falls during the first half of each year. But throughout the UK presidency, I and other Ministers have used speeches, information materials and meetings such as the informal meeting of EU Development Ministers in Leeds on 24–25 October, to publicise the commitments and maintain pressure on member states to deliver on them. On 21 November 2005, the conclusions from the General Affairs and External Relations Council re-affirmed the EU's commitment to monitoring the implementation of the aid volume and related commitments.

Europe and Central Asia Programme

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department intends to use the £5.7 million savings that will be made from the Europe and Central Asia Programme over the 2005–06 and 2007–08 period.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's support to Europe and Central Asia is planned to decrease in line with our policy of focusing our resources in countries where we can have the biggest impact on poverty reduction. The consequent reductions in planned budgets for Europe and Central Asia, as set out in DFID's Departmental Report 2005, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House, increased the resources available for other DFID programmes alongside DFID's increasing budget which is set to rise from £4.5 billion in 2005–06 to £5.3 billion in 2007–08.
	DFID operates an annual review of its programme allocations based on the total of available resources.

Africa

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the European Commission's Africa Communication.

Hilary Benn: The European Commission's Africa Communication Towards a Euro-African Pact to accelerate Africa's Development", is a crucial contribution to the EU Strategy for Africa to be discussed at the December European Council. The communication was discussed by EU Development Ministers at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) on 21–22 November and comprehensive conclusions were agreed in response to the communication. The conclusions are available under the title 2,691st External Relations Council Meeting on the EU Council website at: http://ue.eu.int/cms3_fo/showPage.ASP?lang=en.
	Development Ministers welcomed specific elements of the document, notably points on the themes of peace and security, governance, economic growth and trade, investing in people and development assistance. Ministers also identified specific priorities that they wish to see pursued in the EU Strategy to be discussed in December.

Illegal Drugs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role his Department is playing in restricting the production of (a) cocaine and(b) heroin in developing countries for sale in the UK.

Hilary Benn: Afghanistan currently accounts for 90 per cent. of heroin production worldwide. Our primary contribution to counter-narcotics is through promoting alternative livelihoods to drug cultivation, for which we will contribute £45 million in 2005–06. DFID's livelihoods programme addresses a range of issues including the development of alternative crops, access to agricultural services, as well as broader rural development issues such as market access, access to credit, skills development and improving Government planning at the provincial level. DFID is also working to strengthen the capacity of the Government of Afghanistan's counter-narcotics institutions which are essential for sustaining progress with counter-narcotics objectives and for long-term poverty reduction.
	Our principal contribution to counter-narcotics in coca-growing countries in Latin America is through European Commission assistance, of which the United Kingdom share is 18 per cent. The Commission provides assistance to tackle drug production to a number of Andean countries, including Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. For example, the Commission is providing €45 million in support to the Government of Bolivia to promote alternatives to coca production, including in economically depressed areas, from where unemployed Bolivians migrate to coca-growing regions. EC work is in addition to major US efforts to tackle drugs production in the region.
	Experience has shown that, to tackle illicit drug production effectively, developing countries need to reduce poverty and provide alternative economic opportunities, establish effective and accountable state mechanisms which provide adequate services to the poor, as well as develop the capacity to disrupt drugs production and trafficking networks. DFID's work to reduce poverty and build state capacity in drug-producing countries, even when not explicitly targeted at drug production, helps to provide the environment in which incentives to produce drugs are reduced.
	DFID's activities to address illicit drugs production are not dependent on whether the ultimate destination of the drug is the United Kingdom.

Land Mines

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress is being made on international land mine clearance under the Ottawa Convention.

Gareth Thomas: At the Review Conference for States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty held in Nairobi last year there was unified acknowledgement that this treaty had been successful but it was also acknowledged that there was more work to be done in the aim of a world free of anti-personnel land mines (APIs). An eight point action plan was agreed on how to take the work further.
	144 countries have now signed the convention. Land mine casualties continue to decrease and the trade and manufacture of these weapons is virtually finished apart from some illicit activity. The ban is in practice universal, such is the stigma attached to the use of APLs.
	Through DFID, the United Kingdom continues to be a major donor in global mine action. In 2005–06, DFID will spend some £10 million in this area. A further sum of approximately £5 million will be attributed as the United Kingdom spend via European Community programmes on mine action in the same period.

Lesotho

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what Lesotho's remaining debt to the international community is; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: According to the Government of Lesotho, the Kingdom of Lesotho's public and publicly guaranteed external debt stood at US $768 million in the financial year ending in March 2005. Of this 82 per cent. ($630 million) was owed to multilateral creditors, 13 per cent. ($97 million) to bilateral creditors and 5 per cent. ($41 million) to private sector creditors. The following table breaks the debt down further.
	Of bilateral creditors, 82 per cent. ($80 million) of the total bilateral debt was owed to Paris Club creditors such as France, Norway, South Africa, and Sweden, and 18 per cent. ($17 million) to the non-Paris Club creditors such as China, and the Arab funds.
	Of multilateral creditors, 53 per cent. ($334 million) of the total multilateral debt is owed to the World Bank, 30 per cent. ($188 million) to the African Development Bank, 5 per cent. ($32 million) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the remaining 12 per cent. to other multilateral creditors.
	
		Lesotho: external debt
		
			  $ million 
		
		
			 Multilateral Debt  
			 World Bank 333 
			 African Development Bank 188 
			 IMF 32 
			 Others 77 
			 Total 630 
			   
			 Bilateral Debt  
			 Paris Club 80 
			 Non-Paris Club 17 
			 Total 97 
			   
			 Private Sector  
			 Total 41 
			   
			 Total External Debt 768 
		
	
	In June 2005 the IMF conducted a debt sustainability analysis (DSA) and concluded that Lesotho's debt levels were sustainable. This means it does not classify as a heavily indebted poor country (HIPC). Although it will not have its debt written off as part of the G8 proposal for multilateral debt cancellation, it will, however, benefit from the increased resources provided under the proposal. When the World Bank, the IMF and African Development Bank write off debts of HIPCs, donors including the UK, will compensate these institutions for the money they lose. This additional money will be allocated through those institutions' systems to all poor countries, including Lesotho, irrespective of whether they are HIPC countries or not.
	The UK also operates a multilateral debt relief initiative (MDRI). Under this initiative, the UK is prepared to pay its share of the debt servicing costs of non-HIPC low-income countries like Lesotho. A key feature of this initiative is for countries to have demonstrable robust public financial management systems to ensure the savings are used for poverty reduction. The UK is providing support to Lesotho to improve its financial management systems to help it achieve this.

Lesotho

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid the United Kingdom Government have given to Lesotho since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID's primary development objective in Lesotho is to assist the Government to implement its Poverty Reduction Strategy, published in 2004. DFID support focuses on: strengthening Government efforts to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic; raising revenue more efficiently; developing financial management capacity to deliver public services; improving the enabling the environment for investment and growth, food security and governance and co-ordinating efforts with other development partners to achieve poverty reduction outcomes.
	DFID's bilateral and multilateral financial aid to Lesotho since 1997 is set out in the following table.
	
		000
		
			 Financial year Total bilateral gross public expenditure Total multilateral shares Grand total 
		
		
			 199798 4,986 2,507 7,493 
			 199899 4,166 2,164 6,330 
			 19992000 2,974 77 3,051 
			 200001 2,258 2,100 4,358 
			 200102 2,718 2,100 4,818 
			 200203 2,848 2,254 5,102 
			 200304 3,318 1,838 5,156 
			 200405 3,522 3,687 7,209

Malaria

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he expects malaria to be eliminated from sub-Saharan Africa at the present rate of progress of disease eradication; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Working in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the international community, DFID is committed to halving the burden of malaria by 2010 and reducing malaria mortality by 75 per cent. by 2015. Given that 90 per cent. of malaria deaths in the world today occur in sub-Saharan Africa, the attainment of these goals will go someway to eliminating malaria from this region. There is however, no internationally agreed target for the elimination of malaria from sub-Saharan Africa.
	To combat malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, DFID works at both the bilateral and multilateral level. Since 1999, DFID has provided over 48 million to the WHO in support of its Roll Back Malaria campaign. At the country level, for example, DFID has pledged 27.8 million between 2002 and 2006 towards the distribution of heavily subsidised nets to target populations in Kenya.

Malawi

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness and speed of its response to the food crisis in Malawi in 2002.

Hilary Benn: DFID carried out a comprehensive review of the response to the crisis with the assistance of experts from the Overseas Development Institute in the latter half of 2003. This review took account of the report on the Southern Africa regional crisis by the House Committee on International Development and of reports by a wide range of international academic and agency reports. Among the lessons learnt and implemented were the development of the Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee which has informed decisions about food aid requirements and the integration of NGOs into food aid operations. Both these developments have played an important part in enabling the Government of Malawi to respond promptly and appropriately to this year's food shortages.

Maldives

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will cease all non-humanitarian aid to the Maldives in response to the human rights abuses there.

Gareth Thomas: We are seriously concerned about the human rights situation in the Maldives. The UK has raised these concerns with the Government of the Maldives, bilaterally and with EU partners and will continue to do so.
	The UK provides a small allocation of non-humanitarian aid to the Maldives from the Small Grants Scheme.
	The UK has no current plans to cease this non-humanitarian aid to the Government of the Maldives. Such actions are most appropriate where existing efforts at dialogue and co-operation are not able to lever positive progress. We note recent moves from the Government of the Maldives to establish dialogue with all political parties and we look forward to seeing early progress on democratic reform.

Ministerial Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent in each year from 1 May 1997 on ministerial travel, broken down by (a) provision and running costs of vehicular transport, (b) first class travel by rail, (c) standard class travel by rail, (d) first class travel by air, (e) club or equivalent class travel by air and (f) economy class travel by air.

Gareth Thomas: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office (Jim Murphy) has asked Roy Burke, Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) to write to the hon. Member with details of the costs of ministerial vehicles provided to Departments in 200405. Copies of his letter will be placed in the Library.
	For information for the financial years 200001 to 200304 I refer the hon. Member to the letters from the Chief Executive of the GCDA to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) dated 10 January 2005 and to the then hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Howard Flight) dated 13 September 2003. Copies of these letters are available in the Library.

National Minimum Wage

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many employees in his Department were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October.

Gareth Thomas: There were no DFID employees affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October 2005.

Niger

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 34W, on Niger, what discussions he has had with his foreign counterparts about the need to strengthen the existing international early warning systems used for the prediction of food crises.

Hilary Benn: In Niger and the wider Sahel region, DFID recently sent a humanitarian advisor to engage in discussions with the US, the French and the European Commission about how to improve existing early-warning systems, particularly through broadening the data collected to reflect vulnerability beyond food production.
	Globally, DFID supports international and national efforts to improve early warning capacity. We see a strong role for co-ordination by the UN at the international level but recognise that responsibility for implementation rests primarily with Governments and stakeholders at local, national and regional level.

Niger

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, columns 34W, on Niger, what representations his Department received before June regarding a food crisis in Niger from (a) the Government of Niger, (b) other African Governments and (c) non-governmental organisations.

Hilary Benn: DFID received no representations from the Government of Niger regarding a food crisis, nor from any other African Governments. One non-governmental organisation (NGO) appealed to DFID at the end of 2004 for funds to help tackle the localised impact of drought and locusts, but did not predict a food crisis. Another NGO alerted DFID in April 2005 to worrying nutritional trends that did point to an emerging food crisis. That NGO was offered funding support to help tackle the crisis, but declined.

Niger

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, columns 34W, on Niger, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation Global Information and Early Warning System.

Hilary Benn: The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation's Global Information and Early Warning System is just one of many sources of early warning information that DFID consults. We have not made any in-depth evaluation of its effectiveness, but since it is based primarily on food-production data, we are aware that it does not always capture a complete picture of food-insecurity and vulnerability. Its failure to forewarn of the Niger crisis is evidence of this. However, used alongside complimentary information from other sources, it is useful.

Pakistan

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid effort to date his Department has offered to the victims of the recent earthquake in Pakistan.

Gareth Thomas: My hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, provided a written statement to the House on 24 October announcing that the Government are providing a further 25 million of humanitarian assistance for those affected by the 8 October earthquake. This brings DFID's contribution to the relief effort to 58 million, and our overall contribution, including support for reconstruction to 128 million.
	We will continue to keep hon. Members informed of our response. In addition, specific details of our support to the relief effort are given in our regular Situation Reports, available at www.dfid.gov.uk.

Pakistan

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) financial and (b) other aid his Department has given to Pakistan following the earthquake; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: My hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Development, provided a written statement to the House on 24 October announcing that the Government are providing a further 25 million of humanitarian assistance for those affected by the 8 October earthquake. This brings DFID's contribution to the relief effort to 58 million, and our overall contribution, including support for reconstruction, to 128 million.
	Specific details of our support to the relief effort are given in our regular Situation Reports, available at www.dfid.gov.uk.

Parliamentary Questions

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many written parliamentary questions to his Department were unanswered as at 14 November; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: At the last Prorogation in April 2005 DFID had no parliamentary questions (PQ)s outstanding. Between then and 11 November 2005, a total of 1,324 parliamentary questions were tabled to the Department for International Development, of which there were eight unanswered questions.

South Asia Earthquake

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the outcome of the conference in Islamabad on 19 November to consider further international assistance in relation to the South Asia earthquake.

Hilary Benn: I refer my right hon. Friend for Oxford, Eastto the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 22 November 2005, Official Report, columns 10406WS.

Trade Negotiations (Developing Countries)

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking under the UK presidency of the EU to assist the participation of developing countries in trade negotiations.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the hon. member for Ceredigion to the response I gave on 19 October 2005, Official Report, columns 106566W to my right hon. Friend for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith).

Western Sahara

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to help the people in the Western Sahara.

Hilary Benn: DFID has no bilateral aid programme in the Western Sahara.

World Trade Organisation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures the UK presidency of the EU has taken to achieve a favourable outcome for developing countries from the Doha development round.

Gareth Thomas: I refer my hon. friend to the response I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) on 19 October 2005, Official Report, columns 10651066W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Pensioners

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to improve the situation of women pensioners.

Stephen Timms: We have made a number of changes that are improving women's pension position. Pension credit is helping millions of pensioners on low incomes, two-thirds of whom are women. And the state second pension is extending second-tier pension rights, for the first time, to women who are caring for young children or a disabled adult.
	We realise that, despite these successes, more needs to be done. Fairness is one of the key tests for a lasting pensions settlement for the 21st century. That is one reason why we published our report Women and Pensions: The evidence, to provide a basis on which to build consensus on the way forward and achieve fair outcomes for women.
	We are looking forward to the recommendations of the Pensions Commission on Wednesday. We will look to build on our successes in helping women pensioners when we come forward with proposals for reform next year.

Pensioners

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of pensioners are eligible for means-tested benefits.

Stephen Timms: It is estimated that around a half of pensioners living in private households in Great Britain are eligible for means-tested benefits.

Pensioners

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much on average pensioners in Wales receive in state pensions and benefits; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The latest available information is in the following table.
	
		Average benefit income including state pension 200104 -- 
		
			  Pensioner couples Single pensioners 
		
		
			 Wales 182 129 
			 Great Britain 173 126 
		
	
	Note:
	Based on average of three years of results from 200102, 200203 and 200304 Family Resources Survey uprated to 200304 prices.
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey

Pensioners

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of female pensioners in Wales are entitled to the full basic state pension; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the requested format. The number of female pensioners in Wales who are in receipt of a full basic state pension as at 31 March 2005 is 177,900. This represents 49 per cent. of women in Wales who are getting any state pension or graduated retirement benefit.
	Notes:
	1.Data are taken from 5 per cent. extract of Pension Service Computer System, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study. 2.The figure for the number of recipients is rounded to the nearest hundred. 3.A full basic state pension (79.60 in 200405) is paid to those who fully satisfy the contribution conditions either in their own right or where applicable, on the basis of their late or former spouse's contributions.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample.

Pensioners

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of women pensioners in Tamworth constituency are (a) in receipt of a full basic state pension, (b) in receipt of a basic state pension of (i) 75 per cent. to 99 per cent., (ii) 50 per cent. to 74 per cent., (iii) 25 per cent. to 49 per cent. and (iv) 1 per cent. to 24 per cent. of the value of a full basic state pension and (c) not entitled to any basic state pension.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the form requested as population estimates are not available at constituency level. The information in the table shows the number of women in receipt of basic state pension in Tamworth constituency.
	
		
			   Percentage of basic state pension Number of women as at 31 March 2005 in Tamworth constituency getting basic state pension 
		
		
			 100 per cent. 4,400 
			 75 per cent. to 99 per cent. 700 
			 50 per cent. to 74 per cent. 3,700 
			 25 per cent. to 49 per cent. (47)400 
			 Between 24 per cent. and 1 per cent. 0 
			 Total 9,100 
		
	
	(47)Based on very few sample cases and subject to a wide degree of sampling variation.
	Notes:
	1.Data are taken from 5 per cent. sample, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall GB and overseas caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
	2.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3.Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	4.A basic state pension is not normally paid to someone who is entitled to less than 25 per cent. of a full basic state pension.
	5.Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
	6.A full basic state pension as at 31 March 2005 was 79.60.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample.

Pensioners

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of women pensioners in Gravesham constituency are (a) in receipt of a full basic state pension, (b) in receipt of a basic state pension of (i) 75 per cent. to 99 per cent., (ii) 50 per cent. to 74 per cent., (iii) 25 per cent. to 49 per cent. and (iv) 1 per cent. to 24 per cent. of the value of a full basic state pension and (c) not entitled to any basic state pension.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the form requested as population estimates are not available at constituency level. The information in the table shows the number of women in receipt of basic state pension in the Gravesham constituency.
	
		
			   Percentage of basic state pension Number of women as at 31 March 2005 in Gravesham constituency getting basic state pension 
		
		
			 100 per cent. 4,900 
			 75 per cent. to 99 per cent. 900 
			 50 per cent. to 74 per cent. 4,200 
			 25 per cent. to 49 per cent. (48)500 
			 Between 24 per cent. and 1 per cent. 0 
			 Total 10,700 
		
	
	(48)Based on very few sample cases and subject to a wide degree of sampling variation.
	Notes:
	1.Data are taken from 5 per cent. sample, therefore figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall GB and overseas caseload from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.
	2.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3.Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	4.A basic state pension is not normally paid to someone who is entitled to less than 25 per cent. of a full basic state pension.
	5.Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
	6.A full basic state pension as at 31 March 2005 was 79.60.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate 5 per cent. sample.

Incapacity Benefit

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on incapacity benefit reform.

Margaret Hodge: The numbers of people claiming incapacity benefits has been falling for the first time in nearly 30 years, with a drop of 41,000 in the year to May 2005.
	Our reforms of the benefit will build on this success by introducing the strong rights and appropriate responsibilities sorely lacking in the present system where long-term inactivity was actively created to cover for a failing economy.
	Our benefit reform will continue the success of our ground-breaking Pathways to Work pilots that have already resulted in nearly 20,000 job starts. We are going to look at what works and introduce a national system that will, for the first time, help to fulfil the aspirations of the nearly 9 in 10 people coming onto incapacity benefit who want to work again.

Incapacity Benefit

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what role he expects the private and voluntary sectors to play in his reform of incapacity benefit.

Margaret Hodge: Helping people on incapacity benefits back to work requires the concerted effort of all sectors working in partnership. The success of our ground breaking Pathways to Work pilots has shown what can be achieved with this approach. We will be using the lessons and best practices learnt in these pilots in the development of our welfare reform policy.

Child Support Agency

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of maladministration there have been by the Child Support Agency over the last eight years.

James Plaskitt: The information the hon. Member is requesting is not held for all of the last eight years. However, since April 2002, 706 cases of maladministration have been found by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration and 1,334 by the Independent Case Examiner.
	In the period 1 December 2001 to 10 November 205, a total of 35,558 special payments for maladministration were made by the agency.
	Maladministration ranges all the way between an unanswered letter and failure to collect maintenance.

Child Support Agency

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the change in the annual maintenance payments of the Child Support Agency which would result from full compliance of all assessed claims in Scotland;
	(2)  what the backlog of Child Support Agency claims made by claimants resident in Scotland was under (a) the old system and (b) the new system for each month since January 2004;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the (a) annual running costs of the Child Support Agency in Scotland and (b) annual savings in benefits in Scotland as a consequence of Child Support Agency maintenance payments for each year since 1996;
	(4)  what the average time taken is to process new Child Support Agency maintenance claims made by claimants resident in Scotland.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-resident parents there are with outstanding Child Support Agency cases where the main source of income comes from self-employment; in how many of these cases money has been received since 1997; and what the average amount is of maintenance paid by (a) non-resident parents overall and (b) non-resident parents who are self-employed.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws dated 28 November 2005
	In reply to your parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the chief executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-resident parents there are with outstanding Child Support Agency cases where the main source of income comes from self-employment; in how many of these cases money has been received since 1997; and what the average amount is of maintenance paid by (a) non-resident parents overall and (b)non-resident parents who are self-employed.
	Information relating to outstanding Child Support applications cannot be broken down by employment status. This is because cases may not have reached the point in the information gathering process where the employment status details are obtained. Where such applications are outstanding, no maintenance will have been received.
	Over the quarter ending August 2005, across all schemes, the average amount of maintenance received per case in which maintenance was due (via the collection service) was 328. The average amount of maintenance paid per case in which the non-resident parent was self-employed was 449.
	Notes:
	1.Quarterly figures are provided because this is consistent with the Agency's compliance measurement. It also takes account of the variations in NRP payment patterns which make it difficult to produce an accurate average over a shorter time frame 2.This excludes cases for which no maintenance was due via the collection service (e.g. cases with a nil liability and maintenance direct). 3.The figures quoted relate to the average amount of maintenance received per case, as opposed to the value of the average calculation. A non-resident parent can pay maintenance in respect of more than one case. 4.The figures for the self-employed presented reflect the status of the non-resident parent currently held on the system as of the last intervention by the Agency. This will not necessarily reflect the current status of the non-resident parent if the Agency has not been informed of (or not yet actioned) a change of circumstances. 5.Figures are rounded to the nearest pound.
	I hope you find this information helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the ratio between the annual costs of the Child Support Agency and the annual maintenance paid through the Agency has been in each quarter since 199596; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws, dated 28 November 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the ratio between the annual costs of the Child Support Agency and the annual maintenance paid through the Agency has been in each quarter since 199596; and if he will make a statement.
	The figures in the table below are given on an annual basis, as reported in the Annual Report and Accounts. The information is not held on a quarterly basis. The table shows the ratio of net administration costs to maintenance paid. The net administration costs cover all activities, including both the assessment and collection of maintenance.
	
		
			  Agency annual costs ( million) Maintenance paid ( million) Ratio 
		
		
			 200405 325.60 578.70 1 :1.8 
			 200304 323.00 580.09 1 :1.8 
			 200203 294.30 570.69 1 :1.9 
			 200102 290.40 526.80 1 :1.8 
			 200001 250.00 498.86 1 :2.0 
			 19992000 260.30 457.44 1 :1.8 
			 199899 231.20 389.96 1 :1.7 
			 199798 225.90 298.80 1 :1.3 
			 199697 224.50 207.75 1 :0.9 
			 199596 199.30 128.63 1 :0.6 
		
	
	I hope you find this information helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the National Audit Office last signed off the Child Support Agency's accounts; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws, dated 28 November 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the National Audit Office last signed off the Child Support Agency's accounts.
	Both the Agency Administration and Client Funds Accounts were signed by John Bourn, Comptroller and Auditor General of the National Audit Office, on 15 July 2005 and published on 20 July 2005.
	I hope you find this helpful.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's (a) target and (b) latest performance is for the time taken to process new Child Support Agency maintenance claims.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty to Mr. David Laws, dated 28 November 2005
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his Department's (a) target and (b) latest performance is for the time taken to process new Child Support Agency maintenance claims.
	The Child Support Agency currently has not set a target time for processing applications. This is because the Agency currently has a backlog of work and is endeavouring to clear this as quickly as the necessary information becomes available.
	At the end of September 2005, the average age of new-scheme applications at clearance 1 was 180 days (26 weeks).
	Of those applications that had been cleared, 25 per cent. took 6weeks or less; 22 per cent. took between 6 weeks and 3 months; 22 per cent. between 3 and 6 months; 18 per cent. between 6months and a year; and 14 per cent. took a year or more. These figures exclude 80,000 applications that came through the Jobcentre Plus interface and have been cleared, but for which insufficient management information exists to enable age at clearance to be determined.
	I hope you find this helpful.
	1 An application is defined as cleared if the case is closed, a maintenance calculation has been carried out and a payment arrangement between the parent with care (PWC) and the non-resident parent is in place, the PWC is identified as claiming Good Cause or subject to a Reduced Benefit Decision or the application is identified as being a change of circumstances on an existing case as opposed to a new application.

Disabled People (Civil Rights)

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government have taken to improve the civil rights of people with disabilities;

Anne McGuire: The Disability Discrimination Act 2005, which starts to come into force from 5 December, provides important new rights in areas such as transport, education, access to private clubs and community participation. It delivers our commitment to comprehensive and enforceable civil rights for disabled people.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the financial assistance scheme.

Stephen Timms: The official notification period for pension schemes to apply to the Financial Assistance Scheme began on 1 September 2005. The Secretary of State will lay before Parliament a report on the operation of the Financial Assistance Scheme for each financial year. In particular the report must deal with the number of people who have received assistance payments and the total amount of such payments.
	The first report will cover the period 1 September 2005 to 31 March 2006.
	In addition, we have said that we shall review the operation of the Financial Assistance Scheme including its funding, in the next spending review.

Pensions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the rate at which the state pension will be uprated in 200607.

Stephen Timms: The rates of state pension from April 2006 will be announced shortly (as part of the general uprating statement).
	However, we have given a commitment that the basic state pension will be increased by at least 2.5 per cent. or in line with the Retail Prices Index if higher.

Pensions

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will link the value of the basic state pension to average earnings.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr.Donaldson) on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1678W.

Occupational Health Strategy

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work is being done with external organisations to deliver the occupational health strategy.

Margaret Hodge: The engagement of stakeholders, particularly organisations representing healthcare professionals, employers and employees, was an essential element in the development of the Health, Work and Well-Being strategy published last month. The successful delivery of the strategy will depend on this continued engagement and close partnership working.

Child Support Cases

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written statement of 20 July 2005, Official Report, column 103WS, whether the 260,000 child support cases yet to be cleared include thebacklog of new scheme cases mentioned by the Independent Case Examiner in her annual report 200405.

James Plaskitt: The type of new scheme cases described by the Independent Case Examiner in her annual report 200405 are included in the 260,000 child support cases yet to be cleared, as referred to in the written statement made by my right hon. Friend the former Secretary for Work and Pensions (Mr. Blunkett) on 20 July 2005, Official Report, column 103WS.

Council Tax

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements his Department has made to publicise the arrangements for claiming the 200 council tax rebate among those not eligible for winter fuel payment.

Stephen Timms: We are running an extensive publicity campaign which includes advertisements in both national and regional press. We have posters displayed in, and leaflets available from a variety of venues including doctor's surgeries, Citizen Advice Bureaux and benefit offices. Information is also available on the Pension Service website and from the winter fuel payment helpline.

Council Tax

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when pensioners in Hendon will receive their financial support for council tax bills due for 2005; how many pensioners in Hendon he expects to receive this help; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The 200 payment to help with council tax bills is being issued with the winter fuel payment. Payments commenced in early November and will continue until Christmas. Eligible people who do not receive a winter fuel payment will need to make a claim which must be received by 30 March 2006. We expect around 11,000 pensioners residing in Hendon will receive the 200 payment.

Inactive Benefits

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of inactive benefits moved back to work in 200405.

Margaret Hodge: The Government's successful stewardship of the economy has ensured a steady and concurrent growth in employment. This has meant we have been able to support people who had not previously looked for a job to move into the jobs market. Over the last year the number of people classed as economically inactive, excluding students, has fallen by 180,000.

Pension Service

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many letters have been sent by the Pension Service this year advising pensioners to pay outstanding contributions in national insurance in order to increase the total value of their pensions; how many responses have been received from pensioners; how many responses had been processed at 31 October; how many responses had been received but are yet to be processed at 31 October; what the average time period is for fully processing one of these payments; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Over a 12 month period from September 2004, 414,427 deficiency notice letters were issued by the Pension Service to pensioner customers in Great Britain and abroad. As at 31 October, 191,756 customers had responded.
	As at 31 October, 26,433 customers had been awarded state pension for the first time or received arrears and an increase in their state pension. 31,370 responses were awaiting action from the Pension Service to calculate potential entitlement or revise the pension award and make payment. The Pension Service was awaiting further information on 9,207 responses from, for example, the customer or partner agencies.
	76,214 customers had responded indicating that they did not wish to take any action. Not everyone will be better off by paying deficient years nor do all decide to progress their initial inquiry to payment stage.
	On average, once a customer has paid their voluntary contributions, they can expect the Pension Service to make a payment in eight weeks.
	The remaining information is not held in the form requested.

Winter Fuel Allowance

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints his Department has received in the last month concerning non-payment of winter fuel allowance claims at post offices owing to receipt of insufficient cash.

Stephen Timms: We are aware of a small number of isolated incidents where customers have not received all the money that was available to them because of insufficient post office funds.
	This Department and Post Office Ltd. are working closely together and sharing information to ensure that customers are able to collect this year's winter fuel payment from post office branches.

TREASURY

Capital Gains Tax

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last assessed the merits of using capital gains tax relief to encourage new landlords to offer alternative accommodation to retiring farm tenants; and what his conclusions were.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General gave him on 21 November 2005, Official report, column 1571W.

Child Trust Fund Vouchers

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Child Trust Fund vouchers have (a) been issued, (b) been invested and (c) failed to be invested in the Bridgend county borough council area; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost. UK-wide information on the number of Child Trust Fund vouchers issued and the number of accounts opened are published on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm. The latest set of figures was published on 31 August 2005. Data showing activity to 20 November will be published on the 30 November 2005.

Child Trust Fund Vouchers

Nick Herbert: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of child trust vouchers issued have not been invested by parents.

Ivan Lewis: UK-wide information on the number of Child Trust Fund vouchers issued and the number of accounts opened are published on the HMRC website at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child_trust_funds/child-trust-funds.htm.
	The latest set of figures was published on 31 August 2005. Data showing activity to 20 November will be published on the 30 November 2005.

Civil Service

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total operating expense of the UK civil service was in the last period for which figures are available; how many civil servants are employed in the UK; and what the rates were in each year since 1997.

Des Browne: Spending on gross and net controlled administration costs for Whitehall Departments is shown in table 4 of the Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper 200405 (Cm 6639) which has been put in the Library of the House.
	Administration costs does not include MOD. However, the MOD civil pay bill for 200405 can be found in the MOD 200405 annual report (HC464).
	Spending on administration by the devolved Administrations is a devolved matter.
	Data on civil service employment levels can be found in table 1 of the National Statistics quarterly publication Public Sector Employment First Release, published on the ONS website. This publication includes figures since 1997. The latest release can be found at the following web address http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/pse0905.pdf.

Economic and Monetary Union

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Romford of 14 November 2005, Official Report, column 879W, on economic and monetary union, what the pay grades of the civil servants concerned are; and what estimate he has made of the man hours per week each spends on the work in question.

Ivan Lewis: As a range of officials from across the Treasury contribute to this work, disaggregated information of the kind requested is not available.

EU Budget

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the UK's net contribution to the EU budget was in (a) 200405 and (b) 200506; and what he expects it to be in 200607.

Ivan Lewis: The UK's net contribution to the EC Budget in 200405 can be found in footnote 1 to Table 2 of the Provisional Expenditure Outturn White Paper (Cm 6639) published in July 2005. The Government's latest estimates for 200506 and 200607 can be found in Table 3.2 of the European Community Finances White Paper (Cm 6580) published in June 2005.

EU Budget

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how often financial transfers were made from the UK Treasury to contribute to the Government's share of the EU budget in each of the last three years; what mechanisms are used; and what the last sum transferred was.

Ivan Lewis: The UK, like every other member state, makes two contributions to the EC budget each month. The first of these is made on the first working day of each month and relates to VAT-based and GNI-based contributions and also takes account of the UK abatement. The second payment is made on the first working day after the 19th of each month and relates to traditional own resources (e.g. customs duties). Payments are made direct from the consolidated fund into a European Commission account held in the UK and administered by HM Treasury under Section 2(3) of the European Communities Act 1972. The latest payment was made on 21 November 2005 and was for 153 million.

Finance Act (No. 2)

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he has put in place to assess the impact on business and inward investment in the UK of the measures contained in the Finance Act (No. 2) 2005.

Dawn Primarolo: The measures contained in Finance Act 2005 meet the Government's objectives for a modern and fair tax system which encourages work and saving, keeps pace with developments in business practices and the global economy and provides the foundation for building world-class public services.
	The Government keep all taxes under review, ensuring they continue to meet these objectives, and any changes to taxation are considered as part of the normal Budget process.

Framework for National Statistics

Paul Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the review of the Framework for National Statistics.

Gordon Brown: Having reviewed the Framework for National Statistics, we will publish plans by early in the New Year to legislate to make the Office for National Statistics independent of government, making the governance and publication of official statistics the responsibility of a wholly separate body at arms length from government and fully independent of it. We propose to legislate for:
	the creation of an independent Governing Board for the Office for National Statistics, with delegated responsibility for meeting an overall objective for the statistical system's integrity;
	the appointment of external members to the Board, drawn from leading experts in statistics and including men and women from academia and business; and
	a new accountability to Parliament through regular reporting by the Board to explain and to be questioned by the Treasury Select Committee on their performance.

Incorrect Tax Demands

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanisms are in place to compensate people for expenses they incur in challenging incorrect tax demands.

Dawn Primarolo: There are long-standing published procedures under which HMRC will give consideration to reimbursing the additional expenses customers incur directly as a result of mistakes and unreasonable delays caused by the Department. These are set out in the code of practice 1 and notice l000, available on the HMRC website.

Inter-generational Equity

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the inter-generational equity of the current tax and benefits system; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Treasury's long-term public finance report provides an assessment of long-term fiscal sustainability and the inter-generational fairness of current policies. An updated version of the long-term public finance report will be published alongside the pre-Budget report on December 5.

Maldives (Asset Seizures)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will (a) freeze the bank accounts and (b) seize the assets of members of the Government of the Maldives in response to human rights abuses.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government has no current plans to impose sanctions, such as the freezing of assets and bank accounts, or travel bans against members of the Government of the Maldives. Sanctions are most appropriate where existing efforts at dialogue and co-operation are not able to lever positive progress. We note recent moves from the Government of the Maldives to establish dialogue with all political parties. We look forward to seeing early progress on democratic reform.
	We are, however, seriously concerned about the human rights situation in the Maldives. We continue to raise those concerns, including in September when the British High Commissioner in Colombo accredited to the Maldives did so personally with President Gayoom. The High Commissioner and his deputy also separately made representations to the Maldivian Foreign Minister in late October. We will continue to do so.

Mortgage Loans

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average new mortgage loan was in (a) the UK and (b) East Midlands in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The average value of loans for house purchases are available on the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister' website, and are reproduced as follows.
	
		Average new mortgage loan ()
		
			  UK East Midlands 
		
		
			 2000 70,606 57,839 
			 2001 76,258 61,005 
			 2002 84,489 71,074 
			 2003 98,254 84,913 
			 2004 109,920 95,459 
		
	
	Source:
	ODPM and Survey of Mortgage Lenders

National Debt

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the size is of the national debt; and what the cost of servicing it was in the last period for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: Outturn figures for public sector net debt and the cost of servicing debt are available on the Office for National Statistics website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/psf1105.pdf and http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Expodata/Spreadsheets/D8885.xls (Series ANLO).

Red Diesel (Derogation)

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to ask the European Union for an extension of the current derogation allowing the use of red diesel for leisure purposes; what (a) representations he has received and (b) discussions he has held on the extension; if he will list the bodies he will be consulting on the extension; and when the consultation will commence.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to what I said on the Floor of the House on 26 May 2005, Official Report, column 865W.
	We have received a number of representations on this subject and officials from HM Revenue and Customs have discussed the issues concerning the expiry of the derogation with a number of stakeholders including the Royal Yachting Association and the British Marine Federation. These discussions have been very helpful and are continuing.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of stamp duty land tax returns were not processed in 200405 resulting in fines being levied, broken down by region.

Ivan Lewis: The following table lists the number of land transaction returns received by the Rapid Data Capture Centre at Netherton between April and October 2005 and the number which were returned to sender without being processed as the form omitted basic details. A regional breakdown is not available.
	
		
			 2005 Total received Total rejected Percentage rejected 
		
		
			 April 136,436 3,381 2.48 
			 May 147,221 3,127 2.12 
			 June 163,109 3,390 2.08 
			 July 152,174 3,993 2.62 
			 August 174,845 4,513 2.58 
			 September 148,555 4,387 2.95 
			 October 155,356 4,359 2.81 
			 Cumulative total 1,077,696 27,150 2.52 
		
	
	Under stamp duty land tax an automatic penalty will be imposed if a completed land transaction return and payment of the tax due are not received until after 30 days from the effective date of the transaction.
	In addition there are returns which are not returned to sender but which cannot be processed without further information being supplied. Such returns, if the original return is delivered on time, do not result in the imposition of a penalty if the information requested is supplied after the filing date.

Stamp Office

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many calls were made to the Stamp Office inquiryline in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by (a) region and (b) reasons for call.

Ivan Lewis: A table giving a quarterly breakdown of the number of calls taken on the stamp taxes inquiry line since 1 December 2003 is included in an answer I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr.Hancock) on 10 October 2005 at column 318W. Detailed analysis of regional origins of, and reasons for, these calls is not available.

Stamp Office

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the efficiency of the Data Process Unit at the Stamp Office; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Adam Price) on 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 722W.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent staff have worked (a) in the tax credit office and (b) on the tax credit helpline in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many staff have been employed on the tax credit helplines in each month since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff employed in the TCO over the last 12 months is around that shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Staff numbers(49) 
		
		
			 2004  
			 September 2,500 
			 October 2,400 
			 November 2,200 
			 December 2,200 
			 2005  
			 January 2,200 
			 February 2,300 
			 March 2,400 
			 April 2,400 
			 May 2,500 
			 June 2400 
			 July 2,300 
			 August 2,300 
		
	
	(49)Full-time equivalent.
	(b) The number of FTE staff employed to work on the dedicated tax credit helpline in each of the last 12 months is detailed in the following table. In addition, HMRC can use another 1,150 FTE staff to answer tax credits calls at peak times.
	The number of full time equivalent staff employed on tax credits helplines in each month since April 2003 is detailed in the following table. In addition, HMRC can use another 1,150 staff (FTEs) to answer tax credits calls at peak times.
	
		
			  Staff numbers(50) 
		
		
			 2003  
			 April 1,750 
			 May 1,700 
			 June 1,600 
			 July 1,600 
			 August 1,800 
			 September 1,700 
			 October 1,600 
			 November 1,900 
			 December 2,300 
			   
			 2004  
			 January 2,400 
			 February 2,400 
			 March 2,600 
			 April 2,700 
			 May 3,200 
			 June 3,200 
			 July 3,200 
			 August 3,300 
			 September 3,300 
			 October 3,300 
			 November 3,200 
			 December 3,100 
			   
			 2005  
			 January 2,900 
			 February 2,800 
			 March 2,900 
			 April 3,100 
			 May 3,200 
			 June 3,250 
			 July 3,200 
			 August 3,400 
			 September 3,400 
		
	
	(50)Full-time equivalent.

Tax Credits

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints he has received regarding miscalculated tax credit sums; how many people have had to pay back money after their tax credits were miscalculated; how much money has been overpaid as a result of problems with the tax credits system; and how much overpaid money from tax credit miscalculations (a) has been recovered and (b) remains to be recovered.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on the number of complaints received or the value of overpayments that specifically relate to the miscalculation of tax credits awards.
	For the value of overpayments, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) on 13 October 2005, Official Report, column 428.
	The Department's Code of Practice 26, What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit? describes their approach to overpayments and is available on the internet at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop26.pdf

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recommendations have been made by HM Revenue and Customs Internal Audit in relation to the gathering of information on the possible targeting of tax credits by organised criminals; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: It would be inappropriate to disclose information about measures to counter tax credit fraud, as this would prejudice HMRC's ability to prevent or detect crime, recover fraudulently claimed tax credits and prosecute those involved.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of paying tax credit was as a percentage of each pound of tax credit paid in each year since 1999; and what the capital costs of administration of working tax and child tax credits have been to date.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the cost of paying tax credit as a percentage of each pound of tax credit, which can be found in table 1 of the Annual Report and Accounts 200405.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 19992000 3.29 
			 200001 2.94 
			 200102 2.53 
			 200203 (51)2.21 
			 200304 2.96 
		
	
	(51)Excludes costs of preparing for child and working tax credits, if these are included the ratio is 4.58 pence per pound paid.
	Note:
	A figure for total tax credits payments in 200405 and the cost of managing and paying tax credits can be found in note 3.
	Department for Work and Pensions' figures show the cost of managing and paying family credit was 66 million in 199697, 59 million in 199798 and 72 million in 199899. In these three years total expenditure on family credit was: 2,084 million, 2,326 million and 2,429 million. These figures imply that the cost per  paid of administering family credit was broadly in line with that for tax credits at about 3pence.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families have been contacted as part of the Inland Revenue's tax credit outreach programme; how many awards have been adjusted in-year as a result of contact; and when the next wave of contacts will begin.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs are undertaking a long-term pilot to identify the most successful ways of encouraging customers to keep their records up to date. The pilot aims to contact 15,000 customers in writing and 15,000 customers by telephone on three separate occasions between July 2005 and February 2006.
	The first two waves of contact are now complete and the third is due to start in late January/early February 2006.
	Information from analysis of the first wave, which took place in July 2005, shows that HMRC contacted 15,000 people in writing and around 7,500 by telephone. HMRC found that, as a result, around 1,200 additional families notified a change of circumstances that led to a change in their entitlement.
	Analysis of the second wave will be completed in January 2006 and a further report, following the third wave, is due in April/May 2006. A final analysis will take place after the renewals cycle for 200506 awards is complete.

Tax Revenue

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequerwhat the total tax revenue collected by the Government from British taxpayers and businesses was in 200405.

John Healey: Table C8 in Budget 2005 provides details of total tax revenue for the UK.

Tax Revenue

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer
	(1)  what the total tax revenue collected by the Government from (a) taxpayers in Wales and (b) businesses in Wales was in 200405;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the percentage of Government revenue during the year 200405 which was derived from businesses and taxpayers in Wales.

Dawn Primarolo: The following figures from the ONS 2005 publication of household income show estimates of income tax, council taxes and vehicle taxes paid by households in Wales and the United Kingdom for 2003. They were produced by ONS for the estimation of sub-national gross disposable household income and were published in April 2005.
	
		Taxes paid by households in 2003(52)
		
			  Estimate 
		
		
			 Wales ( million) 4,742 
			 United Kingdom ( million) 137,255 
			 Wales percentage of total 3.5 
		
	
	(52)Taxes paid by households and non-profit institutions serving households.
	No corresponding information is available on taxes paid by organisations or on other taxes paid by households. Information for 2004 is not yet available.

Tax Revenue

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequerwhat estimate he has made of the proportion of UK tax revenues raised in Wales in each of the last 10years.

Dawn Primarolo: For years from 1997,1 refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Leominster (Bill Wiggin) on 22 November 2005, Official Report, columns 191415W.
	The information for years 1995 and 1996 are as follows:
	
		Estimate of taxes paid by households(53) --  million
		
			  1995 1996 
		
		
			 Wales 3,052 3,187 
			 United Kingdom 86,252 87,070 
		
	
	(53)Taxes paid by households and non-profit institutions serving households.
	These figures show estimates of income taxes, council taxes and vehicle taxes paid by households and were produced by ONS for the estimation of sub-national gross disposable household income (GDHI). Sub-national GDHI was published in April 2005. No corresponding information is available on taxes paid by organisations, or on other taxes paid by households.

Valuation Office Agency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what depreciation policy the Valuation Office Agency will apply to the recently purchased desktop valuation software system.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency depreciates all of its in-house software on a straight line basis over 10 years and this policy will also be applied to the Automated Valuation Model (AVM) software.

Welsh Assembly (Funding)

Lembit �pik: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding was allocated to the Welsh Assembly in the form of a block grant under the Barnett formula in each tax year since 199798.

Des Browne: Information on the Welsh Assembly's DEL and grant are published in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, the most recent version of which was published in April 2005 (Cm 6521), and the Wales Office Estimates. Further details can also be found in the Wales Office departmental reports.

Working Tax Credit

Anne Milton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many working families tax credit applications are being processed;
	(2)  how many working tax credit applications being processed were received (a) up to six months ago and (b) more than six months ago.

Dawn Primarolo: Working families tax credit was replaced by the child tax credit and the working tax credit in April 2003.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Funding

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council funding has been provided to organisations in the city of Cambridge in the last five years.

David Lammy: holding answer 24 November 2005
	The following information provided by Arts Council England provides a breakdown of the information requested.
	
		
		
			  200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 Total 
		
		
			 Regular funding for organisations 864,948 1,081,285 1,225,195 1,349,224 1,422,954 5,943,606 
			 Other funding for regularly funded organisations including grants for the arts and recovery 591,895 381,518 878,848 1,333,910 606,461 3,792,632 
			 Regional arts lottery programme (November 2000 to July 2003) (54)457,070 421,452   421,452 
			 Grants for the artsorganisations (25,000 and above)467,628 242,753 710,381 
			 Total 1,456,843 1,4628,03 2,525,495 3,150,762 2,272,168 10,868,071 
		
	
	(54)200002 available only as a countywide figurenot included in final totals.
	In addition, the Junction has received 5,529,608 in capital grants up to 200405. The total Arts Council England funding to organisations in Cambridge during the period was 16,397,679.

British Library

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many redundancies are planned for the British Library.

David Lammy: The British Library anticipates there will be 47 redundancies during the remainder of the financial year 200506. A further reduction in posts of 60 is planned for financial year 200607.

Broadcasting Standards

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with (a) Ofcom and (b) the BBC about the screening of (a) sex, (b) violence and (c) bad language on television.

James Purnell: Decisions on broadcast programme standards are a matter for Ofcom, the BBC and S4C to determine independently of Government, according to the provisions of the Broadcasting and Communications Acts.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was briefed by Ofcom about their proposals for the regulation of standards in broadcast content prior to publication of the new programme code which came into effect on 25 July.

Civil Service Relocation (Scotland)

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many departmental civil service jobs have been relocated to Scotland in each year since 2001.

David Lammy: None.

Departmental Expenditure

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on sports and recreation projects in (a) West Yorkshire and (b) Normanton constituency since 2001.

Richard Caborn: The table sets out the funding for sport and recreation projects that has been made available in the West Yorkshire region and the Normanton constituency since 2001 from both lottery and Exchequer sources.
	
		
		
			  Lottery Exchequer 
		
		
			 West Yorkshire 33,401,776 (55)2,035,176 
			 Normanton constituency 473,403  
			 Total 33,875,179 2,035,167 
		
	
	(55)2,035,167 includes 1,630,167 Community Club Development Programme (CCDP) funding; this funding is not broken down beyond the regional level, so it is not possible to say how much, if any, was spent in the Normanton constituency. The 2,035,167 also includes two projects (50,000 Active School Development Officer and 60,000 Groundwork Trust) which were awarded to the Wakefield area of the West Yorkshire region. Details of Exchequer funding are not available at constituency level.

Departmental Finance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the real terms percentage increase in allocated resources for her Department (a) was for the period 199798 to 200405 and (b) is estimated to be between 200506 and 200708 (i) for each period and (ii) for each year.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) do not have comparable figures for 199798 and 199899. The real terms percentage increase year-on-year of allocated resources for the DCMS for 19992000 through to 200708 are as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 19992000 5.9 
			 200001 0.9 
			 200102 7.6 
			 200203 14.9 
			 200304 4.4 
			 200405 3.2 
			 200506 2.9 
			 200607 1.9 
			 200708 0.9 
		
	
	For the six-year period 19992000 to 200405 the increase was 35.5 per cent. and within the period 200506 and 200708 the expected increase will be 2.9 per cent.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff in her Department have been relocated into London and the South East in each of the last five years for which records are available.

David Lammy: No staff from the Department have been relocated into London and the South East over the last 5 years.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to relocate staff in her Department and related agencies into London and the South East.

David Lammy: There are no plans to relocate staff from the Department or the Royal Parks Agency into London and the South East.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to ensure the Department's websites attain the W3C AAA standard of accessibility for people with visual and other disabilities; and if she will set a target date for this standard to be achieved by.

David Lammy: My Officials are currently working to attain W3C AA standard for all its websites. The main website is being re-developed and we aim to achieve AAA compliance by 2007.

Digital Broadcasting

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her most recent estimate is of the date by which households across Tamworth constituency will be able to receive digital terrestrial broadcasts.

James Purnell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has confirmed the regional timetable for digital switchover; it will take place between 2008 and 2012 by ITV region in the following order:
	2008Border
	2009West Country, HTV Wales, Granada
	2010HTV West, Grampian, Scottish Television
	2011Yorkshire, Anglia, Central
	2012Meridian, Carlton/LWT (London), Tyne Tees, Ulster
	(Further details can be found at www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk)
	Digital Switchover will enable coverage for digital terrestrial television to reach the same level as that of the current analogue signals. It will take place in the Tamworth constituency (Central region) in 2011.

Engagements

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to visit Coventry in the next 12 months.

Tessa Jowell: I have no plans to visit Coventry at present.

English Heritage

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the income was from all sources at the English Heritage properties at (a) Stonehenge, (b) Old Sarum and (c) Wardour Castle in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: Earned income at these three sites is as follows:
	
		
			  200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Stonehenge 3,839,138 3,602,585 3,924,347 4,825,050 5,154,289 
			 Old Sarum Castle 242,172 240,418 219,395 212,213 203,778 
			 Old Wardour Castle 41,141 53,123 67,986 81,774 83,618 
		
	
	This includes income from admissions, retail, catering, corporate events and membership subscriptions (paid at the sites).

Government Art Collection

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1136W, on departmental spending, if her Department will publish the guidelines issued to the Government Art Collection relating to the purchase of art.

David Lammy: The Government Art Collection (GAC) is part of DCMS; its acquisition policy is guided by the advisory committee on the GAC, which is a non-departmental public body. This meets three times a year, members being both independent and ex-officio, including three national collection directors.
	The Department does not issue guidelines to the GAC relating to the purchase of works of art. There is a formal acquisitions policy approved by the advisory committee and the DCMS management board and I am arranging for copies of that document to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Licensing Applications

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued on the circumstances that would require a person holding a charity fundraising event in their (a) home and (b) garden to need to apply for a licence.

James Purnell: My Department has not issued any specific statutory guidance, however it has issued supplementary advice and guidance on its website in respect of garden fe(r)tes and this information can be found at:
	www.culture.gov.uk/alcohol_and_entertainment/
	The provisions of the Act mean that garden fe(r)tes, or functions or events of a similar nature, are exempt from the requirement for a licence when providing public entertainment provided they are not being promoted or held for purposes of private gain. However, if alcohol or late night refreshment is to be sold, a licence will be required for those activities. These events would generally require a temporary events notice.

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what review has been carried out of the effectiveness of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts.

James Purnell: On 25 February 2004 the National Audit Office (NAO) published the findings of its value for money investigation of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. The NAO found that
	NESTA has established generally sound approaches to selecting which projects to support and to managing its portfolio of awards and two of its three funding programmes have done well to generate interest and applications.

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether she plans to change the emphasis placed on (a) science, (b) technology and (c) the arts by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts;
	(2)  whether she plans to amend the aims of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: Pursuant to Section 17 (3) of the National Lottery Act 1998 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State can only make such amendments by order at the request of NESTA. To date, no such requests have been received.
	NESTA's role will continue to be to support and promote talent, innovation and creativity in the fields of science, technology and the arts. NESTA has full autonomy to determine the emphasis in each area.

National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the return on investment generated by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts has been in each year since its inception.

James Purnell: The return on NESTA's investments is listed as follows for both Fund A (NESTA's core endowment, invested on their behalf by the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt in accordance with NESTA's Financial Directions) and Fund B. (the Endowment's income, invested by NESTA), for each year for which audited figures are available.
	
		000
		
			  19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Fund A 11,618 11,599 9,006 8,005 9,189 12,852 
			 Fund B 161 591 656 -3,089 2,658 2,191 
			 Bank interest 20 23 49 47 70 90 
			 Total 11,799 12,213 9,711 4,963 11,917 15,133

National Lottery

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether lottery monies may be used to fund community sports and leisure centres.

Richard Caborn: Yes, lottery monies may be used to fund community sports and leisure centres.

Sick Leave

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her Department's employees who are within one year of the official retirement age are on extended sick leave.

David Lammy: There are no employees in the Department on extended sick leave who are within one year of the official retirement age.

Sport England

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding Sport England has committed to projects for 200506; and how much funding has been allocated by her Department for those projects in that year.

Richard Caborn: As at month six (September), a total of 188,650 million has been committed to projects for 200506. This is broken down as 35,370 million Exchequer, and 152,650 million lottery funding.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is only responsible for the allocation of Exchequer funding to Sport England which, for 200506 awards, is 58,469 million.

Television Access Services (Ofcom Code)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the use of sanctions by Ofcom on broadcasters which do not meet their targets under the Ofcom Code on Television Access Services; and what discussions she has had with the chief executive of Ofcom on such sanctions.

James Purnell: Ofcom has powers to impose sanctions if it believes that a broadcaster has breached licence obligations, including those relating to compliance with the Code on Television Access Services. Compliance with licence requirements is a statutory obligation.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with the chief executive of Ofcom on the use of such sanctions.

Television Access Services (Ofcom Code)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of the broadcasters that are covered by the Ofcom Code on Television Access Services are on track to meet their targets for television access services in 2005.

James Purnell: The matter raised is the responsibility of Ofcom, as independent regulator. Accordingly, officials have asked the Chief Executive to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Television Licences

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in Houghton and Washington, East are in receipt of free television licences.

James Purnell: TV Licensing, who administer free television licences for people aged 75 or over as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over claiming the winter fuel payment in the Houghton and Washington, East constituency in 200405 was 4,490, according to Department for Work and Pensions records.

Tennis Courts

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has issued to local authorities on making their tennis courts available free of charge to young people.

Richard Caborn: I have issued no such guidance.
	Leisure services are a discretionary area of local authority provision and as such it is up to individual local authorities to make a service free of charge if they so wish, taking into account the needs of their local communities.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Article 133 Committee Meetings

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will make the outcomes of the Article 133 committee meetings it has chaired during its EU presidency available on the presidency website.

Ian Pearson: No. However, the Council Secretariat publishes outcomes from the Article 133 Committee in accordance with Council Regulation 1049/2001 (Regulation of the European Parliament and Council regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents). These documents can be accessed through the Council's website: http://ue.eu.int.

Article 133 Committee Meetings

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list for each member state the (a) full and (b) deputy representative of the Article 133 Committee of the Council of Ministers.

Ian Pearson: Details of those attending meetings of the Article 133 Committee are not published; and information relating to the identity of individuals is an issue for the respective member states. It is therefore not appropriate for the UK to publish a list of representatives from other member states.
	The UK's full member of the Article 133 Committee is Edmund Hosker, Director of World Trade, DTI. The UK's deputy member of the Article 133 Committee is Ray Symons, Head of the EU Trade Negotiations Unit, DTI.

Bio-fuels Industry

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grants will be available for those producers who wish to build new plant to supply the British bio-fuels industry.

Malcolm Wicks: There are no grants available from the Department of Trade and Industry towards the capital cost of building new plants to supply the transport bio-fuels industry. There may however be support available through Regional Selective Assistance. Support for research and development into transport biofuels may also be available under the Department's Technology Programme.
	Transport biofuels benefit from a duty reduction of 20pence per litre, and the Department of Transport hasrecently announced its intention to bring forward a Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation to further stimulate the market for transport biofuels.

Carbon Dioxide Capture/Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research he has evaluated on turning captured carbon dioxide back into calcium carbonate.

Malcolm Wicks: DTI has noted work carried out by the IEA, IPCC and EPSRC which all concluded that the mineralization of carbon dioxide into solids such as calcium carbonate had scale-up problems, but may be regarded as a long-term option for carbon dioxide sequestration.

Carbon Dioxide Capture/Emissions

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent estimate the Government have made of the carbon dioxide emissions of the building, maintenance and decommissioning of new (a) onshore wind farms and (b) offshore wind farms over (i) 10, (ii) 20 and (iii) 50 years; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's Fourth Report on Renewable Energy Practicalities included an estimate of the energy payback from wind farms and other technologies.

Carbon Dioxide Capture/Emissions

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the timetable for reducing carbon dioxide emissions of commencing building work on new nuclear power stations in the 200506 year.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has said that the Government will be publishing proposals on energy policy next year. In developing these proposals, we will be looking at the impact of new nuclear build on helping us to meet our energy White Paper goals, including reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The review will be examining a wide range of options for helping us meet these goals.

Carbon Trust Survey

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2005, question reference 23735, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Carbon Trust's survey findings on energy efficiency.

Alan Johnson: DTI have made arrangements for the Carbon Trust report to be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the Medical Reference Panel to decide on the eligibility claims for carpal tunnel syndrome associated with vibration white finger claims where the diagnosis followed the initial medical examination.

Malcolm Wicks: This issue remains under discussion between the Department and the claimants' solicitors. We are working to resolve this matter in order to avoid the need to refer the issue to the Medical Reference Panel at all.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Compensation)

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many chronic obstructive pulmonary disease claims were submitted later than the official cut-off date of 31 March; and what the name of the claim handler and solicitor was in each case.

Malcolm Wicks: 269 claims were received by the Department's claims handlers, Capita, after the cut-off date of 31 March 2004. These claims are listed by solicitor in the following table.
	
		
			 Representative Post cut-off 
		
		
			 AC White 0 
			 AMS Law 19 
			 Andersons 0 
			 Arthur Smith 1 
			 Avalon 1 
			 Bakewells 1 
			 Barber and Co 1 
			 Barrats 0 
			 BBH 1 
			 Beecham Peacock 0 
			 Ben Hiare Bell 0 
			 Beresfords 8 
			 Birchall Blackburn 25 
			 Blackett Hart 0 
			 BRM 7 
			 Browell Smith 68 
			 Canter Levin 0 
			 Corries 4 
			 Crombie Wilkinson 0 
			 D W Carr and Co 0 
			 Duffy Toshner and Co 1 
			 Frank Alien Pennington 1 
			 Forbes 0 
			 Freeman Johnson 0 
			 Furley Page 2 
			 George Mills 0 
			 Gorman Hamilton 1 
			 Graysons 1 
			 HFT Gough 0 
			 Hartley and Wolstenholme 0 
			 Hattersleys 0 
			 Hilary Meredith 0 
			 Holmes and Hill 0 
			 Hopkins 2 
			 Ingrams 5 
			 Irwin Mitchell 0 
			 Jack Thomley 2 
			 Jordans 0 
			 Keeble Hawson 0 
			 Kidd Spoor Harper 4 
			 Latham and Co 5 
			 Law Direct 2 
			 Legal Warehouse 2 
			 Lopian Wagner 1 
			 Malcolm C Foy 0 
			 Marrons 1 
			 McConville O'Neill 1 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 1 
			 Mills Kemp and Brown 1 
			 MLM 2 
			 Morisons 2 
			 Mortons 1 
			 Moss 4 
			 Murray Hamilton and Charmers 1 
			 Nelsons 1 
			 OH Parsons 3 
			 Pannone and Partners 0 
			 Pattinson and Brewer 0 
			 Pinto Potts 0 
			 Platt and Fishwick 0 
			 Popperells 1 
			 Raleys 30 
			 Recompense 2 
			 Reeds 0 
			 Rowlands 0 
			 RSC McDonald 1 
			 Ryan Carlisle Thomas 0 
			 Shaw and Co 1 
			 Sidney Shields 0 
			 Simpson Millar 4 
			 Sparke Elmore 4 
			 Stuart Bell and Associates 3 
			 Thompsons 15 
			 Thomson and Co 1 
			 Tilly Bailey Irvine 0 
			 Towells 0 
			 Tracey Barlow Furniss and Co 0 
			 Treanors 1 
			 TS Edwards 0 
			 UDM 7 
			 W Brook and Co 1 
			 Wake Smith 2 
			 Wareing and Co 1 
			 Watson Burton 3 
			 Unknown 9 
			 Total 269

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Compensation)

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims handlers and solicitors (a) had been working in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme prior to the announcement of the cut-off date and (b) began offering their services after the announcement of the cut-off date; and how many of each category failed to submit claims by the cut-off date.

Malcolm Wicks: 516 claimants' representatives firms had submitted claims in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme before the cut-off date was announced; 141 submitted their first claims after the announcement and a further 20 submitted their first claim after the cut-off date.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Compensation)

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list (a) the names of solicitors and claims handlers who have represented clients under the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease scheme, (b) the number of cases handled by each organisation, (c) the number of complaints against each organisation and (d) the month and year in whicheach organisation began operating within the scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: 657 claimants' representatives firms have submitted claims under the COPD scheme. A table containing the answers to (a) , (b) and (d) above will be placed in the Libraries of the House. Complaints against solicitors are not a matter for the Department but for the Law Society.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (Compensation)

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) legal and (b) financial assistance is available to an individual who believes that a solicitor or claims handler under Department's chronic obstructive pulmonary disease scheme was negligent in failing to submit a claim before the cut-off date for the scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: If an individual believes that a solicitor or claims handler under the Department's chronic obstructive pulmonary disease scheme was negligent in failing to submit a claim before the cut-off date, then the Law Society should be able to provide names of specialist solicitors who may be able to advise that individual as to whether he or she has a claim in law. It would not be appropriate for the Department to provide legal advice in relation to the conduct of any such potential claims. Alternatively, he or she may also consider seeking independent legal advice from a citizens advice bureau or a local law centre, who would be able to discuss the matter free of charge.

Clear Skies Programme

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what representations he has received from the micro renewables industry on ensuring continuity of support to community scale projects under his Department's clear skies programme;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the commercial impact of the UK micro renewables sector of the decision to confirm 4 November as the final deadline for community applications to the Clear Skies programme.

Malcolm Wicks: We worked closely with industry on the last round of community applications to Clear Skies; they were aware of the final round for seven months. In response to representations from industry we have brought forward 750,000 of the low carbon buildings programme 30 million budget in order to allow further householder applications. We will continue to support community projects when the Low Carbon Buildings programme starts in April 2006, subject to EU state aids clearance.

Clear Skies Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) schools and (b) other educational institutions received funding under the Clear Skies programme.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is as follows.
	(a) I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, Deptford (JoanRuddock) on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1342W.
	(b) Four other education institutions have received grant funding under Clear Skies.

Coal Freighting

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much coal mined in Scotland was transported by (a) rail and (b) road freight in each of the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not collect this data.

Departmental Programmes

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when was the final deadline for community applications to the Department's Clear Skies programme; and from which date community applications to the Low Carbon Buildings programme will be accepted.

Malcolm Wicks: The final deadline for community applications to Clear Skies was 4 November. It is not possible to give an exact date of when applications to the new Low Carbon Buildings programme will be accepted. The programme is due to start April 2006, subject to EU state aids clearance, and it is expected that applications will be accepted shortly after.

Electricity Demand

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the proportion of electricity demand in the United Kingdom in (a) 2006, (b) 2010, (c) 2015 and (d) 2020 that will be met by electricity generated using (i) gas, (ii) coal, (iii) nuclear power and (iv) renewable fuels.

Malcolm Wicks: DTIs most recent assessment of the future proportion of electricity demand is contained in the following table.
	
		Percentage
		
			  2005 2010 2015 2020 
		
		
			 Gas 37 41 47 58 
			 Coal 32 26 23 16 
			 Nuclear 22 18 11 7 
			 Renewables 4 11 16 15 
			 Other 4 3 3 3 
			 Total 100 100 100 100

Energy Costs

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of the effects of energy costs on competitiveness in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government take the recent increases in energy prices very seriously, and particularly their impact on the competitiveness of UK industry. In January this year the Department set up the Gas Prices Working Group with the Energy Intensive Users Group and Ofgem, with the remit of examining the workings of the gas market and developing ideas for improving its operation. The group has now agreed a list of action points for the short to medium term, such as maximising gas supplies, encouraging demand side response and pursuing energy market liberalisation in the EU.
	The impact on UK businesses of increases in gas and electricity prices will depend on a variety of factors, including how much gas or electricity a particular company uses, the degree of their exposure to spot and forward prices and the duration of high prices. It will also be affected by the energy prices paid by their competitors. A further sector-specific issue is whether they are in a competitive market where international trade sets the price or in a sector where prices are determined more locally and rising energy costs could be passed on.
	In making decisions about phase 2 of the EU emissions trading scheme the Government are determined to minimise the impact on the UK's international competitiveness. The evidence to date suggests that the impact of the scheme on electricity prices in the UK is around the average for the EU as a whole.
	Despite recent rises, UK gas and electricity prices for industrial users at July 2005 were at or below the EU median. However, individual companies will have agreed commercially confidential contract terms and prices which might differ from these averages. There is anecdotal evidence that, for very large users of gas, gas prices in the UK are above those on the continent, as they buy gas at wholesale prices. On 16h May DTI held a seminar with major users to discuss forward gas prices. We and Energywatch are planning a further seminar with smaller users on 30 November 2005 to discuss energy purchasing strategies.

Energy Imports

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list contracts in place for the import of live energy into the UK.

Malcolm Wicks: This is a commercially confidential matter. Historical information about actual energy imports can be found in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics, which is available at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/inform/dukes/dukes2005/index.shtml and also in the Libraries of the House and from TSO.

Energy Supply

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government have taken to promote the generation of energy closer to the point of consumption.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have taken a number of measures to support the development of small and micro generation technologies connected to the distribution networks close to the point of demand. Not least of these was the creation of the industry-wide Distributed Generation Coordinating Group (DGCG) which operated over a three-year period to November 2004 and which initiated a range of projects designed to address barriers to the integration of distributed generation. Building on the valuable work of the DGCG, the DTI together with Ofgem established in January 2005 the Electricity Networks Strategy Group (ENSG), which looks more widely at issues relating to the electricity networks while maintaining a focus on the development of distributed generation.
	In addition, to the above activities, the Department provides financial support to industry-led projects aimed at increasing the deployment of distributed generation via its technology programme.

EU Anti-dumping Measures

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Department for International Development on the effects of EU anti-dumping measures on developing countries.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 21 November 2005
	Officials in the Department and the Department for International Development discuss the impact which anti-dumping measures may have on developing countries.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the Export Credits Guarantee Department's (ECGD) negotiating position at the OECD Working Group on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees' negotiations for revisions to the Action Statement on Bribery and Officially Supported Export Credits; and what new measures the ECGD believes should be included in this Action Statement.

Ian Pearson: ECGD's historic commitment to securing agreement to enhanced standards in the OECD Action Statement on Bribery and Officially Supported Export Credits is well-known. The deadline for comments on ECGD's interim response to its anti-bribery and corruption consultation was 18 November. ECGD is considering the representations it has received to assist it in formulating a final response. Once ECGD's final response is published, the UK will be able to take a position at the OECD Working Group on Export Credits and Credit Guarantees' negotiations for revisions to the action statement.

First-class Mail

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of first class mail has been delivered the next day in each of the Northern Ireland Royal Mail area offices in Northern Ireland in 2005.

Barry Gardiner: This is an operational matter for Royal Mail and the Chief Executive has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Flexible Working

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many respondents to the February 2005 consultation document Work and Families: Choice and Flexibility gave a response to question 22; and what proportion of those responses were supportive of the case for extending the right to request flexible working to parents of older children;
	(2)  how many respondents to the February 2005 consultation document Work and Families: Choice and Flexibility gave a response to question 20; and what proportion of those responses were supportive of the case for extending the right to request flexible working to carers of adults.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government received 79 responses to question 20 of the Work and Families consultation, which asked what the case is for extending the right to request flexible working to carers of adults. Of these responses just over 90 per cent. were supportive of extending the law to carers of adults.
	The Government received 67 responses to question 22 of the Work and Families consultation, which asked what the case is for extending the right to request flexible working to parents of older children. Of these responses 80 per cent. were supportive of extending the law to parents of older children.

Gas Production/Supplies

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the levels of (a) North sea and (b) Irish sea gas production were in each of the past five years.

Malcolm Wicks: Annual gross gas production figures over the past five years are shown in the following table.
	
		Million cubic metres
		
			  North sea Irish sea Total 
		
		
			 2000 99,970 15,151 115,121 
			 2001 96,271 14,765 111,036 
			 2002 94,913 13,906 108,819 
			 2003 94,199 14,069 108,268 
			 2004 87,865 13,170 101,035 
		
	
	Source:
	These data are derived from the same source as table F2 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES) 2005.

Gas Production/Supplies

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will assess the merits of stipulating a requirement for gas wholesalers to contract for a minimum supply percentage from outside the UK's own resources to guarantee supply levels through interconnectors and liquid natural gas shipments.

Malcolm Wicks: The regulatory/commercial framework for the gas supply industry, overseen by Ofgem, gives strong financial incentives for companies to have sufficient gas supplies, on a day-by-day basis, to meet their contractual commitments. It is in companies' interests to source gas supplies from a diverse range of sources and supply routes.

Gas Production/Supplies

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the total imported gas capacity in millions of cubic metres which will be available per average day in each quarter from Q1 2006 to Q4 2008.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is available within my right hon. Friend's First Report to Parliament on Security of Gas and Electricity Supply in Great Britain (July 2005). This can be found on the DTI's energy website: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy and in the Libraries of the House.

Gas Production/Supplies

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the likely (a) average price and (b) total gas consumption within the UK for each quarter from Q1 2006 to Q4 2008.

Malcolm Wicks: Wholesale gas prices will vary on a daily basis, determined by market conditions. The Department has not made forecasts of quarterly gas prices.
	The Department's scenarios for future gas consumption were reported to Parliament in my right hon. Friend's First Report to Parliament on Security of Gas and Electricity Supply in Great Britain (July 2005). This can be found on the DTIs website:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy

International Trade Agreements

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking within the European Union to ensure developing countries are not required to open their markets through international trade agreements.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 11 November 2005
	The UK regularly presses its position on trade in discussion with other EU member states and with the European Commission. The Government believe that:
	no demands for market liberalisation should be made of LDCs;
	although properly designed and sequenced trade liberalisation in developing countries has great potential to spur development, developing countries themselves have to be convinced of the case for particular reforms;
	special and different treatment should be available for developing countries. This should include less than full reciprocity in reduction commitments, and acceptance that developing countries need flexibility to plan and sequence liberalisation in line with national development plans and poverty reduction strategies.

Liquefied Gas Imports

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the projected levels are of liquefied gas scheduled to be imported into the UK for the next three years.

Malcolm Wicks: Great Britain has one operational LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) import terminal, at Isle of Grain. Two additional terminals, at Milford Haven, are scheduled to commission in 200708. Their projected import capacities are published in my right hon. Friend's First Annual Report to Parliament on Security of Gas and Electricity Supply (July 2005), available at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/publications/policy/sec_supply_ first_report.pdf.
	The actual flows of gas are a commercial matter.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to set the date of the first funding round for the Low Carbon Buildings programme.

Malcolm Wicks: The new low carbon buildings programme will start in April 2006, subject to EU state aids clearance. We expect to set a date for the first funding round early next year, once a management contractor is in place.

Manufacturing

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment he has made of manufacturing industry in Staffordshire.

Alun Michael: At the start of 2004, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 24,710 VAT registered businesses in Staffordshire of which 2,505 (10.1 per cent.) were manufacturing businesses. This picture is broadly similar to 2003 when 2,560 VAT registered businesses were manufacturers out of a total of 24,370 (10.5 per cent.).
	During 2003 150 new manufacturers registered for VAT out of 2,460 new registrations (6.1 per cent). In the same year 200 manufacturers de registered out of a total number of de registrations of 2,125 (9.4 per cent.).
	Business Link Staffordshire provided general advice and assistance to 2,057 manufacturing businesses in 200405, nearly 20 per cent. more than the previous year (1,718) and 226 business received more detailed advice (the figure the previous year being 224). Since its creation, the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) has provided assistance to 518 businesses in Staffordshire, including Stoke on Trent and during the last year it has responded to 165 enquiries in Staffordshire, conducted 109 manufacturing reviews, and referred 84 manufacturers to other programmes. Businesses benefiting from MAS assistance were spread across Staffordshire including Cannock, Cheadleton, Gailey, Uttoxeter, Tamworth, Stafford, Rugeley and Penkridge.

Micro-bikes

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to ensure that retailers of micro-bikes make clear to customers the full legal position on the use of micro-bikes at the point-of-sale.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply.
	Where micro-bike nuisance has been identified as a problem locally, we would expect a local strategy to address it. This could involve the local police working with retailers to ensure that customers are aware of the law on the use of micro-bikes.

Mineworkers' Damages

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the basis is of payment to solicitors acting as the claimants' group representing mineworkers' damages claims; and what sums were paid to the group as a whole in performing this function in each year since 1998.

Malcolm Wicks: As defendants in litigation cases, the Department is required to meet the legal costs of the co-ordinating group of claimants' solicitors. Figures for sums paid are listed as follows:
	
		
			  Total paid ( million) 
		
		
			 1999 10.8 
			 2003 1.6 
			 2004 7.3 
			 2005 1.3 
		
	
	These include costs for the original litigation.

Newspapers and Magazines

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will ask the Competition Commissioner to review the news and magazine market.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 24 November 2005
	The question of whether or not a market should be referred to the Competition Commission for in depth investigation is initially a matter for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to consider. The respective powers of the OFT and Ministers to make references to the Competition Commission are set out in sections 131 and 132 of the Enterprise Act 2002. The OFT has been looking at the newspaper and magazine market in the context of its work to consider the compatibility with the law of distribution agreements for newspapers and magazines. The OFT published a provisional opinion on this matter in May 2005. A final opinion is unlikely to issue until early 2006.

Nightshifts

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) steps his Department is taking and (b) discussions his Department has had with other Government Departments on protecting employees from the possible adverse effects of nightshift work.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department for Trade and Industry implemented the Working Time Regulations in October 1998. These include limits on working time for night workers, free health assessments for night workers, and other provisions related to patterns of work. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was given powers by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry under the Working Time Regulations 1998 to enforce working time limits and health assessment requirements (for night workers).
	DTI and HSE work closely on Working Time Regulation issues, helping to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of the Working Time Directive.
	DTI has provided training for HSE's Working Time Officers and Infoline Contact Centre staff, to improve further the quality of information to inquirers.

Nuclear Energy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps his Department is taking to ensure the nuclear energy option remains open.

Malcolm Wicks: Maintaining nuclear skills and a research base are key areas for maintaining nuclear power as an option for the future.
	Cogent Sector Skills Council was launched in March 2004. It is taking a strategic view of the nuclear sector to ensure that education and training can meet the nuclear employers current and future needs.
	Opportunities for fission research are available as part of the Research Council's Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy initiative. Up to 6 million is being made available over four years.
	The UK is continuing to participate in the development of the next generation of reactors throughthe Generation IV International Forum (GIF) international research programme. DTI funding of 5 million a year has been set aside in 200607 and 200708.

Nuclear Energy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate his Department has made of the time between ordering and completion of a new build nuclear energy power station.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has carried out no assessment on the time taken to build a new nuclear power station since publication of the 2003 Energy White Paper.
	The following papers, which include a timeline on new nuclear build, were prepared for the DTI's Energy Advisory Panel and contributed to the keeping the nuclear option open work on the Energy White Paper:
	KNOO Scoping Paper (EAP 11.06.02P3)
	KNOO Summary Paper (EAP 01.10.02P3)
	KNOO Miniprojects
	These papers were placed in the Libraries of the House at the start of this year in response to a written parliamentary question from the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Peter Law) on 23 February 2005, Official Report, column 648W.

Nuclear Energy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements he plans to make for an informed public debate on new nuclear build; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: As part of our general policy to focus on the climate, reliability of energy supplies and affordability for the customer, the Prime Minister has said that we will be publishing proposals on energy policy next year. We will make an assessment of all options, including civil nuclear power. The arrangements, including mechanisms for consultation, for the review are still being considered. The terms of reference will be announced shortly.

Nuclear Energy

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much nuclear energy he expects to be produced in the United Kingdom by 2020.

Malcolm Wicks: The current estimate for the percentage of electricity produced by nuclear generation in 2020 is 7 per cent. of the total.

Nuclear Energy

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government's renewables policy from the decision to reassess the role of nuclear energy.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government remain committed to their renewables target and to the Renewables Obligation, as well as the goals set out in the energy White Paper. In announcing that proposals on energy policy will be brought forward next year, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear that the Government would be examining all options for meeting our longer-term goals, including civil nuclear power. We expect to announce the terms of reference of the review shortly.

Nuclear Energy

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he made of the merits of making provision for nuclear power when introducing into Parliament the Bill for the Energy Act 2004.

Malcolm Wicks: The July 2002 White Paper, Managing the Nuclear Legacy: A strategy for action set out Government proposals for reforming nuclear clean up through the creation of a new public bodythe Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), and for reconstituting the UKAEA Constabulary (ABAC) as a standalone force independent of the nuclear industry.
	In part 1 of the Energy Act 2004 provisions were made regarding the Civil Nuclear Industry.
	There were primarily two areas which the Act made provision for:
	1.The establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) was established on 1 April 2005, giving it responsibility for driving forward the clean-up of 20 UK civil nuclear sites.
	2.The establishment of the new Civil Nuclear Police Authority, which is responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the new Civil Nuclear Constabulary. This authority is directly accountable to the Secretary of State and these changes have provided improved governance arrangements and greater transparency.

Nuclear Inspectorate

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of fines levied by the Nuclear Inspectorate on polluters in preventing (a) further incidences of pollution by the polluters and (b) incidences of pollution from others who have not previously polluted; what changes are planned; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Incidents at nuclear sites giving rise to environmental pollution are generally investigated by the Environment Agency (England and Wales) or SEPA (Scotland), though joint investigations with the Nuclear Installation Inspectorate are carried out if the circumstances demand it. Prosecution cases relating to environmental pollution incidents are usually taken by the appropriate environment agency.
	In cases of environmental pollution there are no statutory limits on the level of fines that a Crown court can impose. However, fines are only one of the adverse impacts of prosecution that serve as deterrents to potential offenders. The Environment Agency publicises cases where companies have received heavy fines in its annual Spotlight on Business Performance publication to ensure the message is received by others.
	The Environmental Audit Committee considered the issue of fines and sentencing practice in 2004 and recommended that fines should be raised for environmental crimes. (House of Commons, Environmental Audit Committee: Environmental Crime and the Courts. Sixth Report of Session 200304). The Environment Agency has indicated that it is in broad agreement with this recommendation.

Oil Stocks

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether there is a difference between the levels of compulsory strategic oil stocks required to be held by companies refining in the UK and those that import; and what discussions have taken place regarding theretaining of a differential under plans to simplify UK compulsory strategic oil stockholding arrangements.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK meets its international obligations to hold stocks of oil for use in the event of disruption of supplies by imposing obligations on commercial companies. These obligations are currently based on companies' deliveries into final consumption, and we impose a heavier obligation on oil company refiners than on other companies.
	Under our proposed new system, where the obligations will be based on products from refineries or entering the UK as imports, our aim is to establish a system which is fair to all parties, transparent and simple to administer. My Department issued a public consultation on the future of the UK oil stocking system in December 2003 and has since then had a series of discussions of this and other issues with interested business sectors.

Pakistan

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government will encourage the European Union to suspend anti-dumping duties imposed on the export of bed linen from Pakistan.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is contacting the member states of the European Union and Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, seeking support for the suspension of anti-dumping duties on exports of bed linen from Pakistan.

Pakistan

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Tradeand Industry if the Government will urge the European Union to include Pakistan in its Generalised System of Preferences Plus scheme, following the earthquake.

Ian Pearson: The UK is fully committed to doing what we can to help Pakistan recover from the impact that the earthquake has had on its industry. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has written to EU Heads of State to encourage them to consider trade measures which could assist Pakistan following the earthquake. These trade measures include the Generalised System of Preferences Plus scheme, among others.

Pakistan

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking during the UK presidency of the EU (a) to extend to Pakistan the benefits of inclusion in its generalised system of preferences plus scheme and (b) to suspend anti-dumping duties imposed on the export of bed linen from Pakistan to the EU.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The UK is fully committed to doing what we can to help Pakistan recover from the impact that the earthquake has had on its industry. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has written to EU Heads of State to encourage them to consider trade measures which could assist Pakistan following the earthquake. These trade measures include the generalised system of preferences plus scheme and suspension of anti-dumping duties imposed on the export of bed linen from Pakistan.

Pakistan

Shahid Malik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1352W if he will use the EU presidency to press for Pakistan to be included in the Generalised System of Preferences scheme.

Ian Pearson: The UK is fully committed to doing what it can to help Pakistan recover from the impact of the recent earthquake. To this end, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has written to all other EU Heads of Government to encourage them to consider supporting aid and trade measures which could assist in this.

Post Offices

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding the Government plan to continue to allocate to facilitate the operation of post offices after 2008.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The Government have made it clear that it will make informed decisions about the longer-term future of the rural post office network in light of the Post Office Ltd. Report into their trials of new and innovative means of delivering postal services to rural communities. The report is due to be delivered to Government by the end of this year. This will be considered alongside analysis of the network currently being conducted.

Post Offices

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the cost of the deposit of bond needed to open a new post office.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 14 November 2005
	This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked, the chief executive of POL, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.

Postcodes

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of (a) the number of errors and (b) the number of properties not identified in the Postcode Address File (i) in 2005 and (ii)in the 2001 Census.

Barry Gardiner: The management of the Postcode Address File (PAF) is an operational matter for Royal Mail. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, to provide a direct reply to the hon. Member.
	I understand from the Office for National Statistics that the PAF was not used directly as the basis for the enumeration of the 2001 Census. The enumeration planning was conducted using the August 1998 version of the AddressPoint, which is an Ordnance Survey product that uses the PAF.

Power Stations

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he plans to extend the operational life cycles of current UK based (a) oil, (b) gas, (c) coal and (d) nuclear power stations.

Malcolm Wicks: This is a commercial decision for the owners of those power stations. It falls to them to seek the necessary permissions for such extensions.

Protection of Trading Interests Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) males and (b) females have been (i) charged and (ii) convicted in England and Wales of offences under sections (A) 1 and (B) 2 of the Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980 in each year since 1984.

Ian Pearson: No persons, either male or female, have been either arrested or convicted under any Article of the UK's Protection of Trading Interests Act since its introduction in 1980, and subsequent revision in 1996.

Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals Directive

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department's officials have had with representatives of the World Trade Organisation on the provisions of the EU's registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals directive.

Ian Pearson: The Department has not held any discussions with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the above matter. The proposed Regulation on Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) is a proposal for European Community legislation and responsibility lies with the European Commission to ensure that the WTO and its members are aware of the proposal and, where provided, have the opportunity to comment.
	The Commission notified the WTO membership about REACH under the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Agreement on 21 January 2004. This notification was followed up with a series of bilateral meetings between the Commission and WTO members on 30 June 2004. The Commission subsequently provided a formal response on 21 October 2004 to comments received from WTO members in reply to the TBT notification. DTI officials were in attendance at the meetings of the TBT Committee where the EC's notification of REACH was discussed.

Renewable Energy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to support (a) schools and (b) other community ventures with regard to renewable energy projects.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for North Norfolk (NormanLamb) on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1356W.

Renewable Energy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the (a) technical, (b) economic and (c) environmental effects of operating an offshore wind facility in conjunction with a wave power facility.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has made no assessment of the technical, economic and environmental effects of operating an offshore wind facility in conjunction with a wave power facility. This is primarily a matter for renewable developers.

Rover (Former Employees)

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of how many former workers at Rover are in full-time employment; what their average earnings are; how many are claiming unemployment benefit; and of these how many are in (a) full-time and (b) part-time education.

Alun Michael: On 8 April the Secretary of State announced the creation of the Rover Task Force to decide how best to allocate the Government support package being provided and oversee its effective implementation. Some, but not all of the requested information is being monitored by the Rover Task Force, and I can provide the following details:
	Of those 6,160 Rover and supplier employees made redundant as a result of MG Rover and 344 former supplier workers have now found jobs.
	As regards training, a total of 3,677 training plans have been developed, 3,411 former employees have been booked on courses and 2,260 have started training courses.
	There is, of course some overlap between, on the one hand, those booking and starting training and on the other, those undertaking training and those starting work.

Service Liberalisation

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on EU plans to introduce compulsory targets for service liberalisation in developing countries.

Ian Pearson: The EU proposal on services aims to substantially improve market access. It recognises a distinction between developed and developing countries in setting targets and the need for balance in the negotiations.
	The UK's established preference is for a settlement that avoids all new mandatory requirements on developing countries to liberalise services. We will continue to work towards this goal. We are particularly determined to ensure the maintenance of flexibilities to reflect the individual circumstances of developing countries and preserve members' ability to respond to targets based on their own national policy objectives.

Social Enterprises

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to encourage the growth of social enterprises in the most deprived areas of Tamworth constituency.

Alun Michael: In July 2002 the DTI published the Government's social enterprise strategy: 'Social Enterprise: A Strategy for Success'. The Government's vision is of
	dynamic and sustainable social enterprise strengthening an inclusive and growing economy.
	The strategy sets out how successful social enterprises can play an important role in helping deliver on many of the Government's key policies.
	In 2004, Advantage West Midlands funded the development of a framework to guide investment in thesocial enterprise sector over the next 10 years and the resulting West Midlands social enterprise framework, provides a West Midlands perspective to the DTI's national social enterprise strategy. The framework is designed to assist social enterprises across the West Midlands.
	Within the last two years Business Link Staffordshire has provided intensive support to 47 social enterprises and basic information to many more. The way that the Business Link code their services make it impossible for these statistics to be disaggregated within Staffordshire. Supporting the growth of social enterprises within Tamworth and the rest of Staffordshire will remain an important part of the Business Link's support and development of Staffordshire businesses.

Social Enterprises

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many initiatives in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Tamworth have been awarded funding from the Phoenix Development Fund; and if he will extend funding to encourage the growth of social enterprises in disadvantaged communities.

Alun Michael: The Phoenix Development Fund awarded funding to two projects in Staffordshire. There are no projects covering the Tamworth area. Business support activities and funding for social enterprises, are now part of the remit of regional development agencies, who seek to promote the growth of enterprises, including social enterprise, in the parts of their region that lag economically as well as the region as a whole, on the basis of the regional economics strategy.
	Organisation with which have receive Phoenix funding in Staffordshire include:
	Arch (North Staffs) (community enterprise and homelessness), received 239,000 (completed)
	Business Link Staffordshire (social enterprises in disadvantaged communities) received 221,000 (completed)

Social Enterprises

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many new jobs have been created through social enterprise in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Tamworth since 1997;
	(2)  how much Government funding social enterprises in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Tamworth have received in (i) the 200506 financial year and (ii) in 200405.

Alun Michael: Our support for social enterprise is provided through the Regional Development Agency in each region. To date, Advantage West Midlands, has invested more than 5 million on almost 100 regional and sub regional initiatives to support social enterprise. It has not been possible to disaggregate those project statistics on a sub regional level and AWM has not distinguished between jobs created by social and other enterprises. It has therefore not been possible to provideseparate information on job creation in social enterprises.
	A key example of the assistance that has been provided through the projects is the advantage community loan fund which provides access to loans for community, social and 'not for profit' enterprises.

Telephone Preference Service

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions his Department has had with the Information Commissioner's Office regarding the enforcement of breaches of the telephone preference service; and if he will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Officials from this Department regularly discuss the enforcement of the TPS with the Information Commissioner's Office.

Tidal Power

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the development of tidal lagoon facilities in United Kingdom waters to generate electricity.

Malcolm Wicks: Tidal lagoons, as with other forms of large-scale barrage, are technically feasible and are applications of available and well understood technologies. The technology has a potential to contribute to the UK's renewable energy targets and is eligible for support through the renewables obligation. The environmental impacts and economies of any proposed scheme would need to be assessed by the developers and planning authorities on a case-by-case basis.

UK Trade and Investment

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department has commissioned further research by Ernst and Young following their preliminary findings on the expenses of employees in UK Trade and Investment.

Ian Pearson: The Department has not commissioned further research by Ernst and Young.

UK-US Trade

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average tariff levied on (a) agricultural and (b) non-agricultural products (i)from the UK to the US and (ii) from the US to the UK was in 200405.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 21 November 2005
	Tariffs for the UK are those set at the European Union level. The latest data available is reported as follows2004 for the United States and 2005 for the EU. These are average applied tariffs, obtained from the World Trade Organisation Statistical database.
	(a)(i) average agricultural tariff applied by the US: 6.8 per cent.
	(a)(ii) average agricultural tariff applied by the EU: 5.9 per cent.
	(b)(i) average non-agricultural tariff applied by the US: 3.3 per cent.
	(b)(ii) average non-agricultural tariff applied by the EU: 4.0 per cent.

Wave Energy

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 305W, on wave energy, whether he plans to support the Ocean Wave Master via the Marine Renewables Development Fund.

Malcolm Wicks: In January 2005 the Department published proposals for the allocation of the 50 million 'Marine Renewables Deployment Fund' that will support the continued development of the marine renewables sector.
	At the core of those proposals was a 42 million Wave and Tidal Stream Energy Demonstration Scheme for which the eligibility criteria are available on the DTI website. The demonstration scheme is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2006 and to receive applications on set dates throughout the year. It will be for device developers to demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria for the demonstration scheme. As the allocation of funding is on a competitive process it is not possible at this stage to allocate funds to individual proposals.
	The balance of Marine Renewables Deployment Fund will support underpinning research into the impacts of the demonstration projects (up to 2 million) and infrastructure projects (up to 6 million).

Wind Farms

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received objections from National Air Traffic Services to the proposed development of the Gwynt Y Mor offshore wind farm in North Wales.

Malcolm Wicks: No application for consent has been received in respect of the proposed Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm and, there is, therefore, no formal objection process in place. However, I am aware that National Air Traffic Services (NATS) has considered the potential impact of the project as part of its initial review of all round 2 offshore wind farm projects.
	NATS will be consulted on any consent application that is received by the Department and will be able to prepare their formal response in the light of the information contained in the environmental statement which will be submitted by the developer in support of its application.

WTO Negotiations

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Tradeand Industry what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the EU's most recent offer in the World Trade Organisation trade negotiations on (a) applied EU non-agricultural tariffs and (b) services trade liberalisation.

Ian Pearson: The EU's second offer sought agreement on a simple Swiss tariff formula for industrial goods. This is a non-linear, harmonising formula that is effective at reducing high tariffs and peaks and narrowing tariff escalations. Such a formula would lead to a substantial improvement in real market access through cuts in the applied duties of developed and more competitive developing countries, on the understanding that developing countries should do less. The UK is working hard within the EU to ensure no new obligations are imposed on LDCs and that any NAMA agreement for developing countries respects the principle of less than full reciprocity and maximises Special and Differential Treatment. We recognise the importance for developing countries of maintaining flexibility.
	The EU proposal on services aims to substantially improve market access, and recognises a distinction between developed and developing countries in setting targets and the need for balance in the negotiations. The UK's established preference is for a settlement that avoids all new mandatory requirements on developing countries to liberalise services, and we will continue to work towards this goal. We are particularly determined to ensure the maintenance of flexibilities to reflect the individual circumstances of developing countries and preserve members' ability to respond to targets based on their own national policy objectives.

WTO Negotiations

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will press for trade justice rather than free trade at the meeting of the World Trade Organisation in Hong Kong in December.

Ian Pearson: In his open letter of 2 November to the Trade Justice Movement, the Secretary of State emphasised our commitment to securing the best possible deal for developing countries at Hong Kong.
	For ease of reference I set out the full text of his letter here:
	This has been a big year for international development. In June, Gordon Brown's deal with world finance ministers cancelled large chunks of the debt that has crippled the poorest countries and held back their development. In July, at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, the Prime Minister secured an agreement that pledged $50 billion extra in aid.
	The third crucial area with which to tackle world poverty is fairer trade. The World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong in December offer an opportunity for the world community toaddress the imbalances in the world trading system and to deliver an outcome that will enable developing countries to trade their way out of poverty.
	Trade offers huge potential for developing countries. Inequities in the world trading system disadvantage poor countries. Boosting Africa's share of world trade by just 1 per cent. could deliver seven times as much income as the whole continent currently gets in aid. So increasing the opportunity to trade is vital. But there are risks in trade liberalisation for developing countriesdislocation, job losses and income volatilityif it is done too quickly and not as part of a broader development strategy. So we oppose forced liberalisation.
	Today, as thousands of campaigners are lobbying Parliament to make poverty history by delivering trade justice, I want to record Government's support for your objective of no forced liberalisation. We want to ensure better access to Western markets, as well as removing the hidden barriers to trade faced by developing countries and other inequalities that remain in the world trading system.
	The Trade Justice Movement is asking the UK government to use its influence within the EU to deliver on four key concerns:
	 Stop pushing poor countries to open their economies through world trade talks. We agree. The UK believes that developing countries should not be forced to open up their markets either through trade negotiations or aid conditionality.
	Respect poor countries' right to decide on trade policies to help end poverty and protect their environment. We agree. It is for developing countries to make their own decisions on the timing, pace, sequencing and product coverage of any market opening in line with their own national development plans and poverty reduction strategies.
	Allow developing countries to shape trade policies that protect vulnerable farm sectors and promote national industries. We agree. A pro-development agreement at Hong Kong should include meaningful provision for special and differential treatment, including special products, that enables developing countries to promote food security, rural development and the protection of livelihoods.
	Allow countries to choose the best policies for poor people and the environment in services such as water, health and education. We agree. We strongly support the current voluntary arrangement for trade in services precisely because it allows liberalisation of services to take place in a way that supports national development plans. In the run up to Hong Kong, we are pushing other developed countries to ensure that the Hong Kong deal gives developing countries the flexibility that they need to plan and sequence trade reform in line with their national development plans. It may not be possible to deliver all that we would like to see, but we are committed to use our influence to secure the best possible deal for developing countries.
	It will be challenging to build the consensus around a package at Hong Kong that truly delivers on the promises of the Doha Development Agenda, but, as the Prime Minister has said, we will not let this opportunity pass without a monumental struggle.

WTO Talks

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what specific aims and objectives the Government will press the EU to take up at the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong.

Ian Pearson: The Government are committed to achieving an ambitious package at the Sixth World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong that is pro-development will allow a conclusion to the round by the end of 2006 and helps buildthrough liberalising developed world marketsa more competitive European economy.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what units are planned to be deployed to Afghanistan in 2006; and on what date.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 November 2005
	On current plans, the Headquarters Group of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and supporting forces will deploy to Afghanistan to command the International Security Assistance Force from May 2006 to February 2007. Joint Force Harrier personnel, predominantly from IV (AC) Squadron, Royal Air Force, will remain in Kandahar until February 2006 when they are planned to be relieved by 1 (F) Squadron. Work to prepare for a possible commitment of British forces to Southern Afghanistan in 2006 is also under way but, as I made clear in my recent statement of 14 November 2005, Official Report, columns 4142WS, no final decisions have yet been made on such a deployment.

Army Board

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2005, Official Report, column 1259W, which case the Army Board requested the Attorney-General to review; and on what date.

Don Touhig: The answer of 28 October stated that on one occasion the Army Board had requested the Attorney-General to review a case. In fact, the Army Board as a formed body did not request that review and has requested no other review. Rather on 25 March 2004, the Adjutant-General, who is a member of the Army Board, requested that the case involving Trooper Williams of 2nd Battalion Royal Tank Regiment be passed to the Attorney-General. The request came after discussion with other senior army officers. Ministers were not involved in the decision to make the request for referral.

Avian Influenza

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to provide vaccines for the armed forces in the event of an epidemic of avian influenza.

Don Touhig: On 20 July, the Department of Health (DH) announced its intention to purchase a limited amount of H5N1 vaccine as part of its ongoing preparations for a possible influenza pandemic in humans and the Ministry of Defence is ensuring that these plans take account of Defence needs. The MOD has ordered H5N1 vaccine from the DH, who have noted our requirement and included it in the tender bid. However, supplies of this vaccine are not currently available. Nor is it known with certainty that it would give protection against an influenza pandemic should the pandemic strain be a variant of the H5N1 influenza that is currently circulating in birds.
	The current MOD policy with respect to offering flu vaccine is based on the NHS policy of only offering it to specific groups of personnel (such as key workers in the Defence Medical Services), in accordance with guidelines in the Department of Health Green Book Immunisation Against Infectious Disease.

Civil Service Relocation

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the capitation cost is of (a) relocating a civil servant in his Department on public interest terms and (b) an average redundancy compensation payment for non-mobile civil servants.

Adam Ingram: Both transfer and redundancy costs are dependent upon a wide range of individual factors and arithmetic averages are likely to be of limited relevance and, potentially, misleading if applied to any single site closure or relocation programme.
	However, in answer to part (a) , the Department does use an overall average figure of 28,000 as an approximate guide to the costs that might arise when a mobile civil servant moves home at public expense. It is important to understand that this figure is a UK average and covers a span from the relatively inexpensive transfer of a single non-householder (costing around 5,000) up to a married owner occupier (costing some 36,000). But when individual moves are in prospect, the actual costs will depend upon the relative housing costs within the existing and new areas as well as upon the individual personal circumstances of those being transferred. Where a transfer is made to a new location within what is deemed to be reasonable daily travel of the existing home, the value of the allowances paid will generally be lower.
	Turning to part (b) , the provision of a meaningful redundancy cost is equally problematic. This is because the amount paid will depend on factors such as length of service, salary and age. To illustrate this, in a recent redundancy exercise involving 17 non-mobile civil servants, the highest total redundancy liability cost was 77,000 and the lowest was 1,000. The overall average for that particular exercise was 24,500.

Commissioner Reports

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1565W where the reports of (a) the Office of Surveillance Commissioners and (b) the Information Services Commissioner are made publicly available; what estimate he has made of the cost of inspections by HM Inspector of Constabulary; and what budget provision has been made to meet the costs.

Adam Ingram: The reports on the service police produced by the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners and Information Services Commissioner refer to police investigations, operations and/or procedures, and for this reason their reports are not made publicly available.
	We are still discussing with HMIC the possibility of inspections and in advance of any agreement it is not possible to say what costs will arise. No specific funds have been set aside for any inspection that may be agreed.

Defence Aviation Repair Agency / RAF Bases

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect the closure of the fast jet business at the Defence Aviation Repair Agency St. Athan will have on his Department's ability to meet a sudden increase in workload;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the capacity at theRAF's bases at (a) Cottesmore and (b) Marham to deal with a sudden increase in (i) Harrier and (ii)Tornado maintenance work.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The concentration of logistic support 'forward' to MOBs is specifically designed to provide the flexibility to absorb urgent tasking in addition to scheduled maintenance and future upgrade work. Indeed RAF Cottesmore is currently undertaking additional maintenance of Harrier GR7 aircraft in support of operational flying in Afghanistan.

Departmental Estate

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which buildings and sites used by his Department and related agencies (a) have ceased to be used in the last year and (b) will be closed under current plans for relocation.

Don Touhig: The information requested is currently being obtained from a number of separate sources and will take a little time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Finance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the real terms percentage increase in allocated resources for his Department (a) was for the period 199798 to 200405 and (b) is estimated to be between 200506 and 200708 (i) for each period and (ii)for each year.

Adam Ingram: The period 199798 to 200405 covers the transition from cash accounting to resource accounting and budgeting (RAB). Using figures on a comparable basis, the defence budget has grown over the period 199798 to 200405 by 2.6 per cent. in real terms.
	For the period 200506 to 200708, the real terms percentage increase in the Defence total departmental expenditure limits is predicted to be 2.7 per cent. The annual average growth for each year of this period is 1.4 per cent.

Departmental Finance

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the programmes covered by the capital commitments which are contracted for, but not provided for, in 200405.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 555W, to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram).

Falkland Islands (Land Mines)

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress is being made in clearing landmines from the Falkland Islands.

Adam Ingram: Under the Ottawa Convention, the United Kingdom is required to clear all anti-personnel mines from its territory by March 2009. The only UK territory affected is the Falkland Islands. Discussions are taking place with the Government of Argentina to agree a joint feasibility study, including a field survey of the Islands. A decision on how to proceed will be made once the results of the feasibility study are known.

Helicopters

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many RAF helicopters have been cannibalized over the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Cannibalisation is a recognised and long standing activity within the repair and maintenance function. Cannibalisation may apply as much to an uninstalled assembly, for example an engine, as it does to the platform itself and refers to the removal of components of any size down to a single nut.
	The number of RAF helicopters which have been cannibalised is not held centrally. Records are only maintained on the total number of times cannibalisation has taken place. The following table shows this information, by aircraft type, for the period November 2004 to October 2005.
	
		
			 Aircraft type Total cannibalisations in last 12 months 
		
		
			 RAF Chinook 742 
			 RAF Merlin 243 
			 RAF Puma 368 
			 RAF Sea King 246

Income Tax

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the likely impact of allowing service men and women not to be liable for income tax during operational tours, with particular reference to retention.

Don Touhig: No such assessment has been made. The long-standing rule recognised by successive governments is that crown servants, including members of the armed forces, are chargeable to income tax on their Government salaries wherever they are serving.

Iraq

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) servicemen and (b) servicewomen from Welsh regiments have been (i)killed and (ii) wounded in military service in Iraq since 20 March 2003.

Don Touhig: Three members of Welsh Regiments serving in Iraq have died or been killed while on Operation TELIC, but owing to the nature of the operation, centralised casualty data have not routinely included the unit with which injured members of armed forces serve.

Landing Ships Dock Project

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the decision was taken to replace the Integrated Project Team leader for the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) project.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 November 2005
	A decision to change the Integrated Project Team leader for the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) project was made on 28 October 2005.

Landing Ships Dock Project

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his reasons were for changing the Integrated Project Team leader for the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) project.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 November 2005
	It is not Ministry of Defence policy to discuss the specifics of individual official's appointments.

Military Airfields

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer to the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell) of 17 November 2005, Official Report, column 1415W, on military airfields, if he will list the occasions in the last five years when his Department has recorded the pilot and aircraft details of aircraft transiting through military airfields.

Adam Ingram: The information requested has not been recorded centrally over the last five years and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Nuclear Weapons

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the US Administration on the replacement of Trident.

John Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for New Forest East (Dr.Julian Lewis) on 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 560W.

Nuclear Weapons

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans to facilitate a national debate on the replacement for Trident.

John Reid: I have nothing to add to the answer that I gave to the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore) on 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 619W.

Nuclear Weapons

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimates he has made of the likely cost of replacing Trident, broken down by cost of new (a) platforms, (b) delivery systems and (c) warheads.

John Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Gordon Prentice) on 20 October 2005, Official Report, column 1217W.

Poland

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Royal Navy has to conduct joint exercises with the Polish navy.

Adam Ingram: Under current plans, the Royal Navy expects to participate in six multinational exercises alongside the Polish navy in 2006, and in NATO's exercise Noble Mariner, which will take place in Poland in 2007.

Public Service Agreements

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the specific time scales are for measurement of each aspect of performance against 2004 public service agreement target number 6.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence provides quarterly reports to the Treasury on performance against public service agreement (PSA) targets. PSA performance is also reported to the House in the spring and autumn performance reports and the annual report and accounts as appropriate.

RAF Bases

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed in a (a) military and (b) civilian capacity at RAF Leeming.

Adam Ingram: In the answer which I gave to the hon. Member on 7 April 2005, Official Report, column 1763W, I said that there were approximately 1,570 service posts and 280 civilian posts at Leeming. The figure for service posts covered the main station establishment, but not the lodger units there. Including these units, the service posts figure would have been 1,800.
	On a like-for-like basis, the current figures are approximately 1,590 service and 270 civilian posts. The reduction in service posts from 1,800 to 1,590 is primarily the result of the disbandment of XI(F) Squadron on 31 October 2005.

RAF Bases

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when RAF Leeming first became operational for Royal Air Force purposes.

Adam Ingram: RAF Leeming became operational as a Royal Air Force bomber station in July 1940.

RAF Bases

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) employment at RAF Leeming and (b) the local economy of (i) the closure of the base and (ii) its conversion to an army base.

Adam Ingram: As I previously advised the hon. Member on 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 626W, RAF Leeming has a future and a number of strands of work beyond the Defence Airfields Review could benefit the station. No decisions have yet been made.

RAF Bases

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the cost was of the relocation of work from Harrogate and RAF Swanton Morley to RAF Wyton that took place between 1994 and 1996;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the Post Project Evaluation for the relocation of works from Harrogate to RAF Wyton which took place between 1994 and 1996.

Don Touhig: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Recruitment (Fiji)

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Fijian citizens have been recruited by the British armed forces since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The number of Fijian nationals recruited by the United Kingdom regular Army from civilian life between 1 January 1997 and 30 September 2005 is 2,125.
	Historic nationality data for the naval service and the RAF cannot be provided as data are not centrally held in individual records.

Security/Defence Review

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake a comprehensive security and defence review; and if he will discuss with the Foreign Secretary linking such a review with a review of foreign policy.

John Reid: The Ministry of Defence routinely reviews long term security and defence policy and does so in consultation with the Foreign Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments.

Skyguard Survey

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the results of the Skyguard survey in the Cwmifor area.

Don Touhig: The Defence Flying Complaints Investigation Team (DFCIT) are tasked to carry out covert monitoring operations using a Skyguard radar system to monitor low flying military activity. The DFCIT has not released the outcome of the Skyguard survey for the Cwmifor area at present, as the results are still being analysed. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as the results are available and will place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Territorial Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the Territorial Army Infantry private soldiers available for Operation Telic 7 on 1 June remained available following the deployment, broken down by regiment.

Don Touhig: This information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trident

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of the Trident missile system in 200405.

John Reid: In 200405, the capital and operating costs of the Trident nuclear deterrent, including the costs for the Atomic Weapons Establishment Aldermaston, were just under 4 per cent. of the Defence budget.

Trident

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what studies his Department has undertaken on a possible replacement for the UK's Trident nuclear missile capability; whether information from the studies will be placed in the public domain; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: Initial preparatory work is being undertaken by officials on possible options for any replacement of the UK's nuclear deterrent capability. However, while decisions are likely to be necessary in the current Parliament, they are still some way off and Ministers have not yet begun to consider the position on this issue in any detail. It is therefore premature to speculate on the range of options that might be available and when and how we might place additional information in the public domain.

Vanguard Submarines

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) changed operational practices of the Vanguard type submarines and (b) changed strategic circumstances in which they are deployed.

John Reid: The operational posture of Vanguard-class submarines, including a reduced day-to-day alert state with a reduced load of warheads, detargeted missiles and a normal 'notice to fire' of several days, was set out in the 1998 strategic defence review. This posture remains appropriate to the strategic environment.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

1911 Census

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2005, Official Report, column 6W, what the (a) statutory and (b) other basis is for the 100-year census closure policy.

Harriet Harman: Requests to view information contained in the 1911 census returns are considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. So far it has not been possible to grant any requests received because they have all been covered by the S.41 exemption relating to breach of confidence.
	The Government believe that a closure period of 100 years strikes the correct balance between the right of citizens to have information about themselves kept confidential and the rights of family historians and other researchers to have access to that information.
	Since 1981 explicit assurances have been given on census forms that the returns will be kept confidential for 100 years. Opening the 1911 census before 100 years have elapsed could undermine public confidence in those assurances.

Asylum Law Provision

James McGovern: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many legal providers have gained accreditation to operate in the field of asylum law since April 2004 in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Dundee.

Bridget Prentice: The Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme was introduced in April 2004 in England and Wales. As at 24 November 2005 there were 1,555 accredited caseworkers including 22 caseworkers registered with suppliers in Wales. Legal aid is a devolved matter but I understand that while the Law Society of Scotland operates an accreditation scheme in various types of law this does not cover immigration and asylum law. I understand the Law Society of Scotland's records show that there are 112 firms that provide a service in immigration and nationality law, four of which are based in Dundee.

Asylum Law Provision

James McGovern: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many asylum cases have been undertaken by lawyers who had (a) gained accreditation and (b) not gained accreditation since April 2004.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission records claims by contracted supplier and not individual caseworker and therefore it is not possible to specify the number of cases undertaken by accredited caseworkers since 1 April 2004.
	The Immigration and Asylum Accreditation Scheme was introduced in April 2004 and was fully implemented in August 2005. Any contracted supplier who from 1 August uses non-accredited caseworkers to perform work on new cases in the immigration category is not eligible to claim for this work and contract sanctions may be enforced. The Legal Services Commission has terminated or is in the process of terminating the immigration contracts of suppliers who do not have the requisite accredited staff.

Compensation Claims

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance her Department has given local authorities on handling compensation claims.

Harriet Harman: The Department has not issued any guidance to local authorities on handling compensation claims. We are coordinating a programme of work across Government to stop a compensation culture developing and to improve the compensation system for people with a valid claim. Part of that work involves encouraging defendants such as local authorities to resist bad claims. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is one of the Departments involved in this work.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 23 May from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (acknowledgement reference 1843371) regarding Birmingham magistrates court.

Harriet Harman: I am sorry that the hon. Member has not received a response to her letter. I have now sent a reply.

Courts Service Estate Review

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the (a) national, (b) regional and (c) area level reports published as part of the HM Courts Service National Estate Review.

Harriet Harman: I am continuously reviewing the provision of court estate across England and Wales to see that it is satisfactory. There are no such published reports.

Courts Service Estate Review

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has for the consultation process on the review of courts within South Wales, with particular reference to the Cabinet Office code of practice on consultation.

Harriet Harman: I am continuously reviewing the provision of court estate across England and Wales. Should I propose a change to that provision that requires consultation, I shall carry out a consultation in full accordance with the Cabinet Office code of practice on consultation.

Data Protection

John Hemming: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will increase individuals' rights under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Harriet Harman: The Data Protection Act 1998, which accurately reflects the requirements of the Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC), puts in place a firm regulatory structure to ensure the legitimate processing of individuals' personal data. It provides substantial rights for individuals in respect of their personal data, including the right of subject access, the right to prevent processing likely to cause damage or distress, the right to prevent processing for the purposes of direct marketing, rights in relation to automated decision-making, compensation for failure to comply with certain of the Act's requirements, and the right to have data rectified, blocked, erased or otherwise destroyed in certain circumstances. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 also extended individuals' right of subject access, in respect of all public authorities, to include a much wider range of non-computerised records. We currently have no plans to review the Act.

Data Protection

John Hemming: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the (a) number and (b) average size of awards by the courts for compensation for breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 was in the last year for which figures are available.

Harriet Harman: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Salaries

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list the 10 highest-paid employees in her Department, broken down by (a) job title and (b) salary including bonuses; and whether the individual concerned is (i) a civil servant and (ii) a contractor in each case.

Bridget Prentice: It is not possible to provide the information in the way requested without revealing the identity of those concerned. I can, however, confirm that the eight highest paid senior civil service staff in the DCA and its agencies earn in excess of 120,000, as follows:
	
		
			 Salary range Number of staff 
		
		
			 120,000 to 129,999 4 
			 130,000 to 139,000 1 
			 140,000 to 149,999 1 
			 150,000 to 159,999 2 
		
	
	Bonus payments in addition this year for these employees have ranged from nothing to 14,000.
	All of these salaries are contained within the senior civil service pay ranges and paid in accordance with the arrangements for civil service reward, details of which can be found at http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/index.asp.
	The two other highest paid employees in the DCA are specialists employed on a fee paid basis for particular projects whose daily remuneration is 800 and 2,100 retrospectively.

Departmental Spending

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much the Department spent on items of art in 200405.

Bridget Prentice: My Department has not incurred any expenditure on items of art in 200405. This will be confirmed once the Department's resource accounts are published.

EU Citizen Franchise

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many citizens of EU member states other than the UK exercised their right under Article 19 of the Treaty Establishing the European Community to vote at the last European, parliamentary and local elections within the United Kingdom.

Harriet Harman: No record is kept of categories of electors who cast votes in UK elections based upon nationality. Elections are conducted on the basis of the relevant electoral register which does not identify the nationality of electors. Whilst there is no definitive data on turnout among electors of different national groups, the Office for National Statistics compiles and publishes each year the annual register of those entitled to vote in elections in the UK. Resident citizens of the Irish Republic or of other EU States like Cyprus and Malta that are also members of the Commonwealth are included indistinguishably with British citizens in the register of parliamentary electors. The register of local electors reveals that as of 1 December 2003 the number of citizens of other EU states who were eligible to vote in June 2004 at local elections in Great Britain was 407,145. No separate record is kept of such EU citizens who have opted to vote in the UK rather than in the state of which they are nationals at European parliamentary elections.

Freedom of Information Act

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2005, Official Report, column 593W, on the Freedom of Information Act, what guidance has been produced on the status of non-judicial inquiries not established under the Inquiries Act 2005 as public authorities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Harriet Harman: My Department has not produced specific guidance on the status of non-judicial inquiries not established under the Inquiries Act as public authorities under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	My Department has produced general guidance on coverage of the Act, which is publicly available on our website. It is not possible to produce specific guidance on the coverage of non-judicial inquiries not established under the Inquiries Act as they will be established in a number of different ways.
	It is possible that most non-judicial inquiries will not be public authorities or part of other public authorities and so not covered by the Act. However, once an inquiry has been completed, its records are generally held by a public authority, such as a Government Department or the National Archives and become subject to the Act.

Human Rights Act

William Cash: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs in what circumstances she would propose amendments to the Human Rights Act 1998.

Harriet Harman: It is necessary from time to time to make amendments to the Human Rights Act 1998 consequential upon new legislation. For example, if the United Kingdom becomes party to any further Protocols of the European Convention on Human Rights, it may also be desirable to amend the Human Rights Act to append any new substantive rights to those listed in Schedule 1 of the Act. Otherwise, I do not intend to propose any amendments to the Human Rights Act at this time.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many of the IT projects costing over 1 million in use in her Department and introduced since 1997 have been scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee; and if she will list them.

Harriet Harman: The only IT project costing over 1 million in use in her Department and introduced since 1997 which has been scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee is Libra, which supplies modern IT services and infrastructure for the magistrates courts.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many IT projects which cost over 1 million and were introduced since 1997 are in use in her Department.

Harriet Harman: For my Department, expenditure on IT Projects in excess of 1 million since 1997 is contained within three separate contracts, namely LOCCS, the Libra contract and ARAMIS.
	LOCCS refers to Local County Court Systems which provide operational IT systems to Her Majesty's Court Service.
	Libra provides case management and Office Automation to magistrates courts, and it will deliver a standardised IT system.
	ARAMIS is the Accounting Resource and Management Information System which provides accounting, financial, HR/payroll and management information services to the Department.

Legal Aid

Susan Kramer: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many solicitors in Richmond-upon-Thames borough and the Royal borough of Kingston-upon-Thames provide legal aid services for (a) housing, (b) social welfare, (c) mental health, (d) employment, (e) family and (f) criminal defence; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission contracts with suppliers throughout England and Wales to provide a range of legal and advice services across different categories of law.
	The following numbers of contracted suppliers currently undertake legal aid work in Richmond-upon-Thames borough and the Royal borough of Kingston-upon-Thames:
	
		
			  Richmond-upon-Thames Kingston-upon-Thames 
		
		
			 Housing 5 7 
			 Social Welfare(56) 5 7 
			 Mental Health 5 6 
			 Employment 5 7 
			 Family 1 3 
			 Criminal defence 3 3 
		
	
	(56)'Social Welfare' includes the contract categories 'Debt', 'Welfare Benefits' and 'Community Care'.
	The Commission does not hold information about the number of solicitors employed in each office. Solicitors located in other areas may regularly undertake legal aid work in Richmond-upon-Thames and Kingston-upon-Thames.

Lyons Inquiry

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 753W, on the Lyons Inquiry, whether her Department has given guidance to the Lyons Inquiry on whether it is regulated by the Freedom of Information Act.

Harriet Harman: No guidance was issued to the Lyons Inquiry by my Department.

Small Claims (Personal Injuries)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs which organisations she plans to consult as part of the review of personal injuries limits for small claims.

Harriet Harman: The Department for Constitutional Affairs to date has published two reports on the effects of the Civil Procedure Rules of April 1999, Emerging Findings, an early evaluation of the Civil Justice Reforms published in 2001 and Further Findings, a continuing evaluation of the Civil Justice Reforms published in 2002. Both reports concluded that it was still too early to provide a definitive view on costs with data difficult to obtain and conflicting anecdotal evidence. Where there was evidence of increased costs, the causes were difficult to isolate.
	The Civil Justice Reforms were intended to divert cases from litigation or to ensure litigated cases are better prepared and provide more information relative to liability and quantum, so that an opponent could make a better informed offer to settle. This has resulted in the front loading of costs. However, it has enabled more cases to settle earlier, and where cases settle at an earlier stage the overall costs may be lower.

Staff Discipline

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many employees have been dismissed by her Department in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: The number of employees dismissed over the last five years for the Department are:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001 33 
			 2002 42 
			 2003 57 
			 2004 56 
			 2005 59 
		
	
	These figures are for the period April to March for each of the years shown.

Voter Registration

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will introduce individual voter registration.

Harriet Harman: The Electoral Administration Bill, currently before Parliament, includes provision for the collection of personal identifiers such as individual signatures and dates of birth at the point at which a person registers to vote.
	In order that the effect of this policy may be tested in order to obtain evidence as to whether it should be implemented or not, the Bill provides for personal identifiers to be first piloted at a local level, with the results to be evaluated by the Electoral Commission.

TRANSPORT

2012 Olympics

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that the arrangements for transport for the 2012 Olympics will meet the requirements of the Olympic family.

Karen Buck: Our plans are based on the experience of previous host cities. 50 per cent. of athletes will be just five minutes from their venues and 75 per cent. less than 15 minutes. Olympic Family Transport plans will be supported by an Olympic Route Network (ORN) between the main venues, facilities and accommodation. A dedicated fleet of coaches and cars will run on this network, and one some 100 km there will be dedicated Olympic lanes. Following experience of Athens and Sydney, fines will be used to ensure that the network functions effectively.

2012 Olympics

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that the Olympic delivery authority will be able to ensure that transport for spectators will be fully accessible.

Karen Buck: A key objective for Olympic transport is achieving an accessible and inclusive Games for every client group.
	A Games mobility service based on the successful Manchester Commonwealth Games model, will operate throughout both Olympic and Paralympic Games. Among other things, this service will provide pre-booking of various forms of wheelchair, bookable access to individual electric buggies, provision of wide access at airport-style security screening, appropriate signposting, audio-visual information provision and induction loops at stations.
	The Olympic delivery authority will consult with the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee to ensure that their plans for Olympic transport meet the accessibility needs of all spectators.
	In terms of the national picture and access to venues outside of London, all full-size single and double deck buses must be compliant with the Public Service Vehicle Access Regulations by 201617. This allows operators to achieve the full economic life from the fleet which existed before the regulations come into effect. To ensure the industry is well placed to meet these end dates, we have negotiated a voluntary agreement with the industry that 50 per cent. of the full size bus fleet should be low-floor and accessible by 2010. This should be sufficient for us to ensure fully accessible transport to all Olympic venues during the 2012 Games.

2012 Olympics

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Olympic Delivery Authority is taking to ensure that transport for spectators and Olympic family members will be fully accessible by those with disabilities.

Karen Buck: One of the key objectives for Olympic transport remains achieving an accessible and inclusive games for every client group. A games mobility service based on the successful Manchester Commonwealth games model, will operate through-out both Olympic and Paralympic games. Among other things, this service will provide pre-booking of various forms of wheelchair, bookable access to individual electric buggies, provision of wide access at airport-style security screening, appropriate signposting, audio-visual information provision and induction loops at stations.
	We are accelerating the creation of accessible networks of rail, tube and surface transport. Transport for London is continuing to work to ensure that as many stations as possible will be accessible, with a target of at least 25 per cent. of underground stations having step free access by 2010.
	All buses in London will be wheelchair accessible well before 2012. And the London taxi fleet has, of course, been wheelchair accessible since 2000.
	In terms of the national picture and access to venues outside of London, all full-size single and double deck buses must be compliant with the public service vehicle access regulations by 201617. This allows operators to achieve the full economic life from the fleet which existed before the regulations come into effect. To ensure the industry is well placed to meet these end dates, we have negotiated a voluntary agreement with the industry that 50 per cent. of the full size bus fleet should be low-floor and accessible by 2010. This should be sufficient for us to ensure fully accessible transport to all Olympic venues during the 2012 games.

2012 Olympics

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds are available to pay for any cost over-run in the construction of transport infrastructure and services in connection with the 2012 Olympics.

Karen Buck: The Government's aim is to keep a tight grip on costs and ensure that there is no over-run. We expect specific projects to be managed rigorously and with clear accountability. The major schemes, which underpinned the Olympic bid and to which we were committed regardless of the bid's success, are either funded by the Department directly or by the Mayor through his five year investment plan. In addition, the Olympics is funding a number of specific additional transport schemes which are paid for from either the 2.375 billion public sector funding package or through revenue raised by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG).
	In the unlikely event of an over-run arising for these specific Olympic schemes, a memorandum of understanding, agreed with the Mayor, makes it clear that any shortfall will be dealt with in a sharing arrangement with the Mayor and additional National Lottery funding.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to reduce the accident rate for vehicles on the A21 in East Sussex; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 24 November 2005
	Each year an annual road safety review is undertaken for the A21. The review has identified a programme of works to improve safety.
	This year the programme includes preparatory work for a safety scheme at Flimwell Cross Roads. The scheme will introduce signals at the junction for right turns and is due to be completed in summer 2006. Further safety work is also planned for next financial year at Ashdene Services near Hurst Green to improve right turns at the entrance to the services.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been made available for public consultation on the proposed A21 upgrade by the Highways Agency.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency have allocated for 200506 855,000 to fund preparation work, including public consultation, for the A21 upgrade.

A417/419

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  why the ministerial commitment to resurface noisy concrete surfaces in relation to the A417/419 Swindon to Gloucester road has been dropped; whether this was a uniform decision for all the roads listed in the original decision; and whether the Government will consider (a) new claims for blight from noise and (b) further remedial measures in relation to the A417/419;
	(2)  whether the A417/419 Swindon to Gloucester road will be resurfaced in the normal maintenance schedule; and whether the design, build, finance, operate provider will be responsible for the costs.

Stephen Ladyman: Following detailed scrutiny of departmental and the Highways Agency's budgets, Ministers agreed that the resurfacing of roads ahead of a maintenance need, for noise alleviation reasons, would not be allocated funding. This was a uniform decision across the entire motorway and trunk road network in England and is now the position up to 200708.
	The Government cannot consider new claims for blight from noise as the noise assessments on which original blight claims were based, assumed a worst case and any noise insulation or compensation has already been provided on that basis.
	While the Highways Agency will continue to consider remedial measures, these will have to take their turn in the regional priorities for trunk road improvement schemes.
	The A417/A419 will be re-surfaced when maintenance need dictates and, if this is during the life of the DBFO contract, then the DBFO company will carry out the work and be responsible for the costs.

Air Navigation Order

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to publish regulatory changes to the Air Navigation Order.

Karen Buck: The Air Navigation Order 2005 (S.I. 1970/2005) came into force on 20 August 2005. Copies may be obtained from the Stationery office (ISBN 0110732537).

Air Travel Levy

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the administrative cost to (a) the Government and (b) airlines of compliance with a 1 levy scheme collected through the same means as air passenger duty.

Karen Buck: In its advice to the Government, published on 22 September 2005, the Civil Aviation Authority said that a 1 levy could be implemented in such a way that it does not impose a large compliance cost either on airlines or tour operators, or the CAA. The Government has not made an estimate of these costs.

Air Travel Levy

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the time that it would take for a 1 levy air passenger protection scheme to become self-financing from inception.

Karen Buck: The Government has not made an estimate of the time it would take for a 1 levy scheme to become self-financing. However, in its advice to the Government, published on 22 September 2005, the Civil Aviation Authority said that a 1 levy would have to be applied for three to five years in order to build up a reserve fund of 250 million.

Aircraft Environmental Effects

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will reply to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's report The Environmental Effects of Civil Aircraft.

Karen Buck: The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's (RCEP) report The Environmental Effects of Civil Aircraft in Flight was their response to the Government's 2002 consultation on the future development of air transport in the UK. The Secretary of State for Transport met the chairman of the RCEP, Sir Tom Blundell, in March 2003 to discuss the report. The report was one of over 500,000 responses to the consultation, which informed decisions on The Future of Air Transport White Paper published in December 2003.

Airline Failures

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the numberof UK passengers stranded overseas as a result of failure of UK and European airlines in each year since 2000.

Karen Buck: When EUjet failed in July 2005 about 12,000 of its customers were overseas and had to make other arrangements to return to the UK. As stated to the House of Commons Transport Committee on 2 November 2005, the Government was not called upon to repatriate any of these individuals. The Department does not hold data on previous incidents.

Airline Failures

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has undertaken on the extent to which pop-up messages on websites of UK airlines warn customers they are not financially protected in the event of the airline's insolvency.

Karen Buck: The Department of Transport is currently in the process of discussing with airlines the provision of website information on financial protection. A number of them have said they will include relevant advice so that customers will see it during the on-line booking process.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2005, Official Report, column 759W, on automatic number plate recognition, what the reasons were for the inaccuracies in the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority database; what the nature of each type of inaccuracy was; and what percentage of the total number of inaccuracies each type of inaccuracy represented.

Stephen Ladyman: The answer of 11 July 2005, Official Report, column 759W, on automatic number plate recognition, quoted figures from the assessment of Project Laser 2, a 13 month pilot project which commenced in June 2003. The inaccuracies in the data supplied by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) related primarily to the timeliness of information about vehicles that were evading Vehicle Excise Duty. At this time, DVLA often experienced delays of up to six weeks in the receipt of vehicle licensing information from post offices, resulting in vehicles being stopped unnecessarily. This timeliness issue has now been addressed through the introduction of an electronic link between DVLA and post offices and electronic vehicle licensing. Moreover, the data was conveyed to individual police forces via CD Rom and so was necessarily out of date. The police now have access to live data, and this facility is being rolled out to all forces. Those forces that still receive data on CD Rom currently do so every two weeks, soon to be weekly.
	An assessment of accuracy of the DVLA databases conducted between May and September 2005 indicates that 97.4 per cent. of vehicle keepers can now be traced from information supplied by DVLA.
	A database of vehicles with a valid MOT certificate is currently being created and is expected to be completed in 2007, as MOT computerisation is rolled out to all MOT garages and a full year cycle of MOT testing is complete.
	The Motor Insurance Database is maintained by the insurance industry. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 has given police access to the database, enabling them to identify uninsured vehicles. The insurance industry is investing significant resource in improving accuracy and timeliness of their database.

Blue Badge Scheme

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2005, Official Report, columns 155253W, to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow), on the Blue Badge Scheme, when he expects to bring forward draft regulations.

Karen Buck: Draft regulations incorporating a number of changes to the Blue Badge Scheme are currently being finalised. We intend to consult on the draft regulations early next year and to implement them as soon as we can once that process is complete.

Buses

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what obligations his Department places on bus companies to consult local residents about (a) changes in bus routes and (b) the establishment of new bus routes.

Karen Buck: Regulations require the operator of a local bus service to provide the Traffic Commissioner and all relevant local authorities with at least 56 days notice when they intend to introduce or vary the timetable or route of a registered local bus service.
	In addition to the statutory requirements the Bus Partnership Forum has agreed a voluntary Service Stability Code which provides for more notice to be given to the local authority when changes are planned.
	The notice period provides local authorities with time to consider the impacts of the changes in service levels and the need for any necessary promotional or publicity activities. We do encourage all parties to work together to ensure the interests of passengers and the community are taken into account.

Consultants

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on information technology consultants in each year since 1998;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on transport consultancy services in each year since 1998.

Karen Buck: The Department was formed in May 2002. A breakdown of spend by the Department and its executive agencies is shown in the following table:
	
		
		
			 Financial Year IT consultants Transport consultants 
		
		
			 DfT(C)(57)   
			 200203 283,792 (58) 
			 200304 5,252,861 (58) 
			 200405 6,914,935 (58) 
			 200506 3,598,656 (58) 
			 VOSA(59)   
			 200203 n/a n/a 
			 200304 1,084,383 195,147 
			 200405 424,390 195,028 
			 200506 388,242 134,446 
			
			 DVLA(60)   
			 200203 1,038,000 0 
			 200304 1,511,000 0 
			 200405 1,823,000 0 
			 200506 512,000 0 
			
			 MCA 0 0 
			
			 Highways Agency(61)   
			 200203 4,887,110 30,610 
			 200304 6,619,772 637,518 
			 200405 7,130,722 937,972 
			 200506 4,115,598 668,592 
			
			 VCA   
			 200203 108,519 0 
			 200304 81,026 0 
			 200405 70,396 0 
			 200506 50,509 0 
			
			 DSA(62)   
			 200203 n/a (58) 
			 200304 113,140 (58) 
			 200405 552,253 (58) 
			 200506 101,938 (58) 
		
	
	(57)Committed spend. The 200203 figure for IT consultancy may be understated due to changes in the accounting system when the Department was created. The effect of this is that many IT consultancy orders were charged to a general consultancy code and cannot now be identified separately without incurring disproportionate costs. Transport consultancy is not currently recorded separately in the central Department's accounting system.
	(58)Information not recorded in this format.
	(59)VOSA was formed in April 2003.
	(60)Spend on IT consultancy is not recorded separately by DVLA. The figures are the total spend with known IT consultants.
	(61)Highways Agency spend for 200203 may be understated because of the difficulty in matching categories to those used in previous accounting system.
	(62)DSA changed to a new accounting system in 200304. Information in respect of prior years is not readily available.

Consultants

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what mechanisms are in place to assess the effectiveness of consultant-led projects in his Department; what sanctions are available to penalise consultants who run unsuccessful projects; how many projects conducted by consultants were assessed as unsuccessful in each year since 2000; and what sanctions were imposed in each case.

Karen Buck: The Department follows Office of Government Commerce (OGC) best practice programme, project and contract management procedures. Programmes and projects are subject to OGC's Gateway process which provides assurances at critical stages of a programme or projects lifecycle, and is applicable to programmes and projects managed by both internal and external resources.
	The Department's internal guidelines also stipulate that consultancy assignments should be reviewed on completion to assess whether goals and objectives have been achieved, and to ensure that any lessons learnt are disseminated and incorporated in the Department's management systems.
	By following best practice, the Department seeks to eliminate unsuccessful projects. Where a consultant fails to deliver the specified outcomes, they may be required to pay liquidated damages, the contract may be terminated, or payment withheld. The consultant may also be required to meet any additional costs incurred in completing the project.
	Details of how projects are resourced and the outcome of any assessment against project-specific success criteria, together with details of any sanctions imposed on any consultants involved, are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Salaries

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the 10 highest-paid employees in his Department, broken down by (a) job title and (b) salary including bonuses; and whether the individual concerned is (i) a civil servant and (ii) a contractor in each case.

Karen Buck: The salary bands (including bonuses) and the numbers in each band for the senior civil servants inmy Department are given in the Department for Transport Annual Report 2005 Table B3. The salaries for contractors/consultants are not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff in his Department were (a) civil servants, (b) contractors and (c) other staff in each year since 1997.

Karen Buck: The civil servant staffing levels for the Department are contained in Table C of Civil Service Statistics. Civil Service Statistics is available in the Library of the House.
	The numbers of contractors and other non-civil servants is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure the Department's websites attain the W3C AAA standard of accessibility for people with visual and other disabilities; and if he will set a target date for this standard to be achieved by.

Karen Buck: The Cabinet Office Government website guidelines, which govern the conduct of Government websites, specify that 'All UK Government websites are expected to achieve, as a minimum, and adhere to the single 'A' (Priority 1 items) level'.
	Considerable effort is spent in improving the accessibility of all the DfT family of websites. DfT gov.uk sites comply with single 'A' and the majority are working toward achieving 'AA'. This is an ongoing process, as standards for accessibility evolve and change. As such there is no target date to achieve 'AAA'.
	The Department regards achieving 'AA' throughout our websites as a benchmark. All of the DfT family of sites fulfil at least some of the criteria needed for 'AAA' rating.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many requests for information have been received other than from the police and local authorities under Regulation 27 of the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) Regulations 2002 (SI2002/2742) citing reasonable cause in each month since the regulations came into force; how many were (a) acceded to and (b) refused in each month; if he will list the private companies who secured information in this way; and what the total financial receipts obtained by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency from this process have been.

Stephen Ladyman: The following figures represent the number of requests accepted monthly under the 'reasonable cause' provisions since 2002 are:
	
		200203
		
			 Month Number 
		
		
			 April 75,641 
			 May 76,890 
			 June 60,349 
			 July 77,963 
			 August 65,530 
			 September 73,498 
			 October 77,836 
			 November 74,323 
			 December 56,357 
			 January 80,331 
			 February 71,895 
			 March 77,772 
		
	
	
		200304
		
			 Month Number 
		
		
			 April 71,757 
			 May 71,100 
			 June 71,537 
			 July 79,375 
			 August 66,316 
			 September 74,859 
			 October 79,440 
			 November 70,721 
			 December 67,043 
			 January 74,317 
			 February 76,663 
			 March 86,535 
		
	
	
		200405
		
			 Month Number 
		
		
			 April 77,051 
			 May 73,464 
			 June 84,318 
			 July 78,633 
			 August 76,032 
			 September 80,289 
			 October 79,138 
			 November 86,984 
			 December 71,524 
			 January 85,196 
			 February 78,318 
			 March 89,613 
		
	
	
		Current year
		
			 Month Number 
		
		
			 April 82,889 
			 May 85,117 
			 June 88,589 
			 July 93,659 
			 August 85,997 
			 September 100,548 
			 October 84,882 
		
	
	The number of requests refused is not available.
	A list of all the private companies that secure information this way is not available. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. However, a list of private car parking enforcement is available. A list has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Revenue collected for all requests handled since 2002 is around 9 million.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the national performance targets are for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) offices and test centres; and what the performance of DVLA offices and test centres in Devon and Cornwall has been against those targets.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table shows the performance of the Exeter and Truro offices against the relevant internal targets for the current financial year.
	
		Percentage
		
			  April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 Year to date 
		
		
			 Cherished Transfer. Target 95 per cent. in seven days
			 Exeter 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Truro 98.56 99.04 98.76 97.22 97.62 97.8 99.39 98.34 
			 Customer complaintsto acknowledge all complaints. Target 100 per cent. in one day   
			 Exeter 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Truro 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Customer complaintsto provide substantive response to all complaints. Target 10 days   
			 Exeter (63) (63) (63) (63) (63) (63) (63) 55.0 
			 Truro (63) (63) (63) (63) (63) (63) (63) 66.05 
		
	
	(63)Figures are recorded as year to date only due to the low numbers received.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total number of private cars in London registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority in (a) 19992000 and (b) 200405.

Stephen Ladyman: At the end of December 1999 there were 2,162,000 cars owned privately in the Greater London area. At the end of December 2004 the figure had risen to 2,365,000.

Emergency Procedures (Test Exercises)

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the results which do not relate to terrorist attacks of bi-national exercises to test emergency procedures held on (a) 15 April 2004 at Folkestone Fire Station (UK COMEX), (b) 30 June 2004 on the French side of service tunnel (VALEX) and (c) 19 September 2004 (UK led annual exercise BINAT 15).

Derek Twigg: The reports of these exercises do not distinguish the results in this way. The exercises test the emergency services' response to particular sets of circumstances regardless of whether those circumstances are assumed to have resulted from an accident or terrorist attack. The reports are matters for the UK and French emergency services and Eurotunnel rather than the Department.

Fuel Sales

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) petrol stations and (b) other outlets sell (i) diesel and (ii) petrol that has a renewable content in each region.

Stephen Ladyman: We are aware of around 100 outlets selling biodiesel, usually in a blend of 5 per cent. with fossil diesel. These are listed by region on the Energy Savings Trust's website at http://www.est.org.uk/fleet.
	Following the introduction of a 20p per litre fuel duty derogation in January, on average around 7 million litres of bioethanol is being sold in the UK each month. It is blended at up to 5 per cent. with fossil petrol in line with fuel quality standards. We understand that this fuel is being sold at 100 or so outlets in the South East of England, but retailers are generally not distinguishing the fuel as renewable and we therefore do not have precise information on the number of outlets selling it.

Light Rail and Trams

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will list the light rail and tram schemes approved by his Department since 1998; and what conditions were attached to each;
	(2)  what agreement he has entered into in respect of light rail schemes in relation to contingency funding for cost overruns for each scheme since 1998; and if he will place copies of such agreements in the Library.

Derek Twigg: Since 1998, the Department has approved the following schemes:
	Manchester Metrolink renewals and capacity enhancements;
	Merseytram Line 1;
	Leeds Supertram;
	South Hampshire Rapid Transit;
	Midland Metro Phase 1 extension (City Centre and Brierley Hill Lines);
	Manchester Metrolink extensions;
	Tyne and Wear Metro Sunderland extension;
	Nottingham Express Transit;
	Manchester Metrolink renewals and capacity enhancements
	Conditional approval was granted in 2005. The approval letter was issued on 28 July 2005 with the following conditions:
	Government funding was capped at 58 million (in cash terms). Any inflationary risks as a result of delay to the scheme would be for GMPTE to meet.
	Government funding was conditional upon the whole scheme being delivered as set out in the proposals sent to the Department by GMPTE.
	If at any time prior to full approval the promoters found that the agreed funding would not be sufficient to carry out the work set out in their proposal, they must, at that point, let the Department know and discuss with the Department the implications.
	If the promoters found that the funding profile set out in the letter was no longer workable, they must let the Department know at that point and discuss with the Department the implications.
	Full approval would not be given until final prices had been fixed and process and risk allocations were known. A request for full approval would need to include:
	Details of the tender exercise and any resulting changes to the proposal.
	That the key elements remained unaltered
	The promoters approach to monitoring and evaluation.
	The total costs, including that required from Government (which the Department expected to be no more than 58 million), and
	Availability of other financial contributions.
	Merseytram Line 1
	Provisional approval was granted in 2002. The approval letter was issued on 19 December 2002 with the following conditions:
	An updated appraisal would have to be prepared if the authority obtained TWA powers.
	A cap of 170 million (in cash terms) would be set on central Government contributions.
	Were the public sector costs to increase above the current estimate of 225 million, the entirety of the excess would have to be met through local sources.
	DfT would need to obtain assurances at the appropriate time from Section 151 officers of the authorities contributing towards the costs that they had considered the impact of potential cost overruns on the future finance of the authority and, as a matter of judgment, were satisfied that it would be affordable, bearing in mind that the Government contribution would be capped.
	Leeds Supertram
	Full approval was granted in 2001. The approval letter was issued on 28 March 2001 with the following conditions:
	The local contribution would be 25 per cent. of the amount of public sector funding.
	The final amount of public sector support would only be known once the tendering process had been completed. Once tenders had been received, the promoters would need to agree with the Department and Treasury the amount of public sector funding required. If the public sector funding requirement was more than the cap of 355 million (in present value terms), the promoters, the Department and Treasury would need to consider the available options, including whether the project should proceed as currently planned.
	South Hampshire Rapid Transit
	Full approval was granted in 2001. The approval letter was issued on 28 March 2001 with the following conditions:
	The local contribution would be 25 per cent. of the amount of public sector funding.
	The final amount of public sector support would only be known once the tendering process had been completed. Once tenders had been received, the promoters would need to agree with the Department and Treasury the amount of public sector funding required. If the public sector funding requirement was more than the cap of 170 million (in present value terms), the promoters, the Department and Treasury would need to consider the available options, including whether the project should proceed as currently planned.
	Midland Metro extensions
	Provisional approval was granted in 2000. The approval letter was issued on 12 December 2000 with the following conditions:
	An updated appraisal would have to be prepared if the authority obtained TWA powers.
	Final approval would depend on whether an updated economic appraisal confirmed that the scheme represented good value for money and on satisfactory funding arrangements being agreed.
	Manchester Metrolink extensions
	Full approval was granted in 2000. The approval letter was issued on 19 July 2000 with the following conditions:
	Local contribution would be increased to meet any increase in the public sector funding requirement resulting from higher capital costs or a lower concession value at the end of the tendering process compared to the assumptions set out in the approval letter, or from lower than assumed developer contribution.
	In cases where the public sector funding requirement was increased by more than 10 per cent., GMPTE, the Department and the Treasury would need to consider the available options, including whether the project should proceed as currently planned.
	Once it became apparent that the tender bids would come in significantly above the previously anticipated funding requirement, the Department agreed that the public sector contribution would be increased to 520 million (in cash terms). This followed confirmation from the section 151 officers of each district council that, as a matter of professional judgment, they were satisfied that the contributions that would fall to be made by their authorities were affordable. They had borne in mind that the Government's contribution was capped at 520 million (in cash terms). A letter was sent to the promoters on 20 December 2002 with the following conditions:
	If the net public sector costs exceeded 520 million, GMPTE would meet the entirety of the excess.
	Government would not be prepared to make any additional contribution towards the cost of the scheme.
	Tyne and Wear Metro Sunderland extension
	Full approval was granted in 1999. The funding allocation was set out in the Tyne and Wear settlement letter on 16 December 1999. No separate approval letter was issued.
	Nottingham Express Transit
	Full approval was granted in December 1998. The approval letter was issued on 5 January 1999. It confirmed that the project would be issued with PFI Credits of 167 million following contract signature if the project went forward as planned. In August 1999, the Department agreed an increase in public sector funding of 10 million. This was provided on the basis that:
	No further Government funds would be provided for the project.
	If the negotiations failed to reach financial close by the end of August, the Council or Arrow would have to bear any resulting costs or interest increases themselves.
	As this was a PFI funded scheme, the Department would need to be satisfied that the necessary value for money criteria had been met and that the risk transfer was acceptable.
	No further agreements were made in regards to contingency for cost over runs.

Light Rail Schemes

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the local authorities which he has required to give legally binding unconditional financial undertakings as a condition of approval for light rail in their area.

Derek Twigg: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Knowsley, North and Sefton, East (Mr. Howarth) today [UIN 25617].

London Underground

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to meet the Mayor of London to discuss the renegotiation of the public private partnership deal for London Underground.

Karen Buck: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly meets the mayor.
	There is no intention to re-negotiate the PPP and the Government remains committed to the 30-year contracts. The first of three 'periodic reviews', built into the PPP contracts at seven and a half yearly intervals, will be completed in 2010. This provides an opportunity for LU to review its output requirements under the contracts, but is not a review of the PPP structure itself.

London Underground

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total legal and administrative costs since 1997 have been of changes to the status of London Underground.

Karen Buck: Since 1997 the major changes to London Underground have been the implementation of the Public Private Partnership and its transfer to Transport for London.
	The National Audit Office, in their report London Underground PPP: Were they good deals? and their evidence to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) (published in the PAC's Seventeenth Report of Session200405 London Underground Public Private Partnerships) have provided detailed breakdowns of the London Underground's costs for the PPP. These can be summarised as:
	
		Breakdown of London Underground's PPP costs --  million
		
			 Activity (Consultants/advisers) Cost 
		
		
			 Legal (Freshfields) 29.2 
			 Commercial (PricewaterhouseCoopers) 21.4 
			 Reorganisation (Arthur Anderson) 13.8 
			 ReorganisationEngineering (PA Consultants) 12.5 
			 Engineering advice (Ove Arup) 6 
			 Miscellaneous (project management, audit, insurance, property, pensions, technical and other advice) 26.5 
			 Internal costs 61 
			 Discounting by National Audit Office 10 
			 Unsuccessful bid costs 25 
			 Tube Lines successful bid costs 134 
			 Metronet successful bid costs 116 
			 Total 455.4 
		
	
	The Department's costs in relation to the PPP and transfer of London Underground are provided in the following table. These do not include the Department's internal costs such as staff and accommodation.
	
		
		
			 Activity Adviser Cost 
		
		
			 Review of LU grant requirement and value for money review Ernst  Young 884,000 
			 Advice on PPP Partnerships UK 652,000 
			 Legal advicePPP Herbert Smith 15,000 
			 Legal advicejudicial reviews Treasury Solicitors 47,000 
			 Legal advicepensions Herbert Smith 40,000 
			 Miscellaneous Various 125,000 
			 Total  1,763,000

M2

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  between which dates the M2 motorway has been free of roadworks since 1985;
	(2)  upon which sections of the M2 roadworks are in progress within the seven-mile coned-off section between junction 6 and Brenley Corner;
	(3)  when he expects work on the M2 motorway between junction 6 and Brenley Corner to be complete.

Stephen Ladyman: During the past 20 years, the M2 motorway was free of major roadworks in 1985, 1986, 1992, 1995 and 1997.
	There are currently no road works on the M2 between junction 6 and Brenley Corner (junction 7). However, there is one set of roadworks on the M2 between junctions 5 and 6, which is approximately four miles in length and another separate set of roadworks between junctions 4 and 5, which is 1.6 miles long.
	The roadworks between junctions 5 and 6 are due for completion on the 30 November 2005.
	The roadworks between junctions 4 and 5 are to be completed in two phases. The first phase is programmed to complete on 17 December 2005 to ensure there are no roadworks on the M2 over Christmas and the new year. The second phase will commence on 7 January 2006 and is due for completion by the end of February 2006.

Media Relations

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on external media relations in each year since 2001.

Karen Buck: The Department has press officers who handle much of its media relations with the support of the Government News Network in the regions. In addition, the Department spent the following amount ineach year since it was established on consultancy fees for external media relations, primarily to support our marketing activities, for example the THINK! road safety campaign.
	
		
		
			  DfT 
			  Central Agencies 
		
		
			 200203 496,004 302,250 
			 200304 357,146 503,788 
			 200405 438,210 373,328

Merseytravel

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the efficiency and stability of Merseytravel.

Derek Twigg: It is primarily for the Merseyside Passenger Transport Authority, whose members are drawn from the districts, to assess these matters.
	The Department has assessed progress in delivering the first Merseyside local transport plan (which is a partnership between Merseytravel and the district councils). This has been assessed as being either 'well above average' or 'above average' in each of the last three years. Merseytravel has been designated as a centre of excellence for transport planning and for delivering its transport plan.

Millward Brown Group

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has paid to Millward Brown Group for consultancy advice in each year since 1997.

Alistair Darling: holding answer 22 November 2005
	The Department was formed in May 2002. The Department has made no payments to Millward Brown Group for consultancy advice.
	In common with other public and private sector organisations we do undertake research to understand the effectiveness of our communications. My Department has bought media research services from Millward Brown at a total cost of 248,031.40 since the creation of DfT to date. The reports are available on theDepartment's web site at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_foi/documents/divisionho mepage/041073.hcsp.

Ministerial Engagements

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a list of the ministerial engagements of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Halton since 1 June to date.

Derek Twigg: I have carried out a wide range of ministerial engagements including meeting MPs and delegations from their constituencies. I have held discussions with a range of stakeholders including cycling organisations, local councils, rail organisations, light rail groups, unions and train operating companies.
	I have made various visits related to the rail industry and to promote cycling. I have also made visits to the European Parliament.

Mobile Phones

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of accidents caused by drivers using hand-held mobile phones since January 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available. However, from 1 January 2005, information on contributory factors to accidents have been collected for personal injury road accidents reported at scene by a police officer. One of the factors is driver using mobile phone. Subject to quality tests, first results should be available in autumn 2006.

Motorways (Litter)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of litter on motorways in Kent;
	(2)  what the arrangements are for the removal of litter from (a) motorways and (b) trunk roads in Kent;
	(3)  what measures are in place to monitor the effectiveness of litter removal on motorways and trunk roads in Kent.

Stephen Ladyman: In Kent the Highways Agency is responsible for litter picking on the motorway network and the A2 from its junction with the M25 to the M2 Junction 1 with local authorities responsible for the remainder of the trunk road network.
	The Highways Agency monitors the level of litter as part of its routine inspection regime to ensure that it complies with the code of practice set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
	Although general performance targets for litter collection have been met there has been a site-specific problem identified on the A2 at Gravesend. Litter at this location has now been removed and a new contractor employed to remedy any future reoccurrence.

Night Flights

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of night flights from and to Heathrow airport on the London economy.

Karen Buck: The Government's consideration of the economic impact of night flying takes account of the combined effects on the national economy of night flights at the designated airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
	A broad statement on the economic importance of night flying at the designated airports was made in the draft regulatory impact assessment published in the stage two consultation document on night flying restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted,
	published on 10 June 2005,
	We acknowledged in the stage two consultation that responses to the stage one consultation had not provided a comprehensive picture of the economic impact of night flights and of night restrictions. The stage two consultation therefore made a specific request for further information to inform the Government's decision-making. The consultation closed on 16 September 2005 and the Department for Transport is analysing responses from consultees.

Pedestrian Deaths

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pedestrian deaths in road accidents there were where the pedestrian had over 100 mgs of alcohol per 100 mls of blood in each year since 1997; and what percentage of all pedestrian road accident deaths in (a) England and (b) each region this represents in each case.

Stephen Ladyman: Information on the blood alcohol levels of pedestrians is available for less than half of those who died in personal injury road accidents. The proportions of fatally injured pedestrians aged 16 or over with a blood alcohol level of over 100 mg/100 ml out of those for whom a blood alcohol level has been provided by the coroners are shown in the following tables.
	
		Estimated percentage of pedestrian fatalities aged 16 and over with more than 100 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of bloodTable A: England 19972003
		
			  Percentage over 100 mg/100 ml Sample size(64) Total number of pedestrian fatalities aged 16 and over(65) 
		
		
			 1997 31 332 716 
			 1998 34 296 687 
			 1999 36 293 662 
			 2000 31 285 658 
			 2001 35 266 627 
			 2002 39 262 618 
			 2003 33 256 613 
		
	
	
		Table B: English Government office regions 19972003 combined
		
			  Percentage over 100 mg/100 ml Sample size(64) Total number of pedestrian fatalities aged 16 and over(65) 
		
		
			 North East 43 94 228 
			 North West and Merseyside 32 288 708 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 32 238 479 
			 East Midlands 36 210 408 
			 West Midlands 36 192 490 
			 Eastern 34 213 428 
			 South East 38 296 658 
			 London 27 285 828 
			 South West 38 174 354 
			 England 34 1,990 4,581 
		
	
	(64)The number of pedestrian fatalities aged 16 and over for which blood alcohol data are available.
	(65)Includes cases where age was not reported.

Pedestrian Deaths

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) pedestrians, (b) cyclists, (c) motorcyclists, (d) car drivers and (e) car passengers have been (i) injured and (ii) killed in Staffordshire in road traffic accidents in each of the past six years for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, car drivers and car passengers killed and injured in personal injury road accidents in the county of Staffordshire, excluding Stoke on Trent Unitary Authority for the years 19992004 are shown in the table.
	
		Staffordshire(66)
		
			  Pedestrians Cyclists TWMV Car drivers Car passengers 
			  Killed Injured(67) Killed Injured(67) Killed Injured(67) Killed Injured(67) Killed Injured(67) 
		
		
			 1999 9 386 4 307 5 280 16 2,213 10 1,253 
			 2000 12 455 0 245 11 351 20 2,262 11 1,208 
			 2001 13 464 2 244 6 313 31 2,307 18 1,258 
			 2002 5 363 2 205 12 363 20 2,222 8 1,255 
			 2003 15 377 1 198 15 412 23 2,217 14 1,099 
			 2004 10 370 1 199 13 350 28 2,211 11 1,147 
		
	
	(66)Excluding Stoke on Trent Unitary Authority.
	(67)Includes serious and slight injuries.

Project Cyclamen

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps have been taken to implement Project Cyclamen on the monitoring of road transport for illicit radioactive material; what has been the costs to date of this implementation; and whether the principles of protection established via experience with the project are being developed to apply to monitoring other modes of transport.

Charles Clarke: I have been asked to reply.
	Programme Cyclamen is a cross-governmental counter-terrorism initiative, which began in April 2003. It uses fixed detection portals at UK borders and mobile screening units covering all traffic types to detect and deter the illicit importation of radiological materials into the UK. The mobile units will be deployed primarily at UK borders, but can also be deployed inland. We cannot go into the specific details of the programme, but are working with key stakeholders to ensure that the impact of operations on legitimate traffic is kept to a minimum. For security reasons, we do not generally disaggregate spending on specific counter-terrorism measures or projects.

Public Service Agreements

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when 2004 public service agreement target number four will be fully specified;
	(2)  when 2004 public service agreement target number one will be fully specified.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is as follows.
	Congestion target specifications
	The congestion target for urban roads (Department for Transport PSA 4) was published on 5 July 2005 in the Department's public service agreement. The target is that,
	by 201011, the ten largest urban areas will meet the congestion targets set in their Local Transport Plan relating to movement on main roads into city centres.
	Local authorities will publish final local transport plans containing targets in March 2006, so the public service agreement target for urban congestion will be fully specified then.
	The congestion target for strategic roads (Department for Transport PSA 1) was fully specified in the Technical Note published on 28 July 2005. This document is on the Department's website at: www.dft..gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/page/dft_about_03057801.hcsp#P61_1195.

Quality Contract Schemes

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many quality contract schemes have been given ministerial approval since the introduction of the scheme in the Transport Act 2000.

Karen Buck: We have to date received no applications for a bus quality contracts schemes for approval.

Railways

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with train operating companies on passenger safety on late night services.

Derek Twigg: The Department liaises with train operating companies on personal safety issues for both passengers and staff through regular meetings and relevant research project steering groups.

Railways

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail passengers used (a) Birmingham New Street, (b) London Victoria and (c) Liverpool Lime Street station in 2004.

Derek Twigg: The latest complete-year data published by Network Rail for these stations covers the20045 financial year. Birmingham New Street was used by 30.5 million passengers, London Victoria by 92.5 million passengers and Liverpool Lime Street by 12.8 million passengers.

Railways

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the levels of crime have been on the railways since 1997; and what measures his Department has taken to minimise these levels.

Derek Twigg: The number of crimes recorded by the British Transport police on the railways (excluding London Underground) from April 1998 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of crimes recorded 
		
		
			 199899 57,395 
			 19992000 57,521 
			 200001 55,610 
			 200102 59,594 
			 200203 63,404 
			 200304 65,051 
			 200405 63,377 
		
	
	Note:
	Data is not available prior to April 1998, as the comparison is not meaningful due to a change in Home Office counting rules.
	In 1998 we launched the Secure Stations Scheme, which is designed to improve security at overground and underground stations for passengers and staff, and we have recently published guidance on improving personal security on trains. Also we are continuing to raise the profile of transport crime among Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.
	The British Transport police (BTP) play an important role in keeping Britain's railways safe and secure, and pleasant to use. The force works closely in partnership with those who manage the railway, staff and tenants, and local police forces. It also takes a lead in combating the antisocial behaviour that can impact so much on those who use and work on the railway.
	I recently launched South Eastern trains' team of railway enforcement officers which has been accredited under the RSAS. The Department encourages the participation of all TOCs in this scheme.

Railways

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on ministerial responsibility for maintaining and improving the railway infrastructure in Scotland.

Derek Twigg: The railway infrastructure is owned and managed by Network Rail. The Secretary of State is responsible for the legislative framework for the provision and regulation of railway services including rail safety. The Scottish Parliament have legislative competence over the promotion and construction of new railways wholly within Scotland. The Railways Act 2005 provides for the specification of network outputs and financing of infrastructure costs in Scotland to be the devolved executive responsibility of the Scottish Ministers.

Road Charging (Tyne and Wear)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether Tyne and Wear authorities willbe required to implement (a) road charging and (b) pricing schemes as part of their proposals to reduce congestion;
	(2)  whether road charging is being considered for any part of the A1 Western Bypass in Newcastle and Gateshead.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 24 November 2005
	As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced today, the Tyne and Wear authorities have bid successfully for pump priming funding, to support the development of innovative packages of measures to tackle congestion. All of the seven bidders which are to receive pump-priming funding propose to explore the feasibility of road pricing in their areas among other demand management options. This work will help inform the development of a coherent national framework for road pricing. We are not however requiring the implementation of any particular scheme or solution.

Road Gritting

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of road traffic accidents on (a) gritted and (b) un-gritted roads in each year since 2000, broken down by local authority area.

Stephen Ladyman: Although the Department for Transport does not hold information on actual costs incurred as the result of road accidents, it does estimate the value of prevention of road accidents in its annually published Highways Economics Note No.1. Estimates for the total value of prevention of all road accidents 200004 are as follows:
	
		Estimated total cost
		
			   million 
		
		
			 2004 18,004 
			 2003 18,094 
			 2002 17,760 
			 2001 17,420 
			 2000 16,959 
		
	
	The Department is unable to provide information on costs disaggregated by local authority and by grittedand un-gritted roads as this data is not collated centrally.
	The Department strongly recommends that local highway authorities carry out winter maintenance in accordance with section 13 of Well-maintained Highways: Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management published by the UK Roads Liaison Group earlier this year.

Road Safety

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on road safety in each year between 1994 and 2004; and what percentage of the budget of his Department was in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department for Transport was formed in July 2002. Around 40 million (0.5 per cent.) in 200203 and 42 million (0.4 per cent.) in 200304 was spent on road safety against the departmental expenditure limits of 8.8 billion and 10.8 billion respectively. These figures exclude expenditure on the national safety camera programme, which is funded from fine revenue from speed and red light offences. In addition, much of the expenditure by the Department's agencies and local authorities, which is funded through block funding by the Department, contributes to road safety.

Road Traffic

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what were the total vehicle miles driven in London by private motor cars in (a) 19992000 and (b) 200405.

Stephen Ladyman: The total vehicle miles driven in Greater London by private motor cars, including taxis, are available for calendar years only. The figures for each year since 1999 are shown in the following table:
	
		Millions
		
			  Vehicle miles 
		
		
			 1999 16,644 
			 2000 16,569 
			 2001 16,559 
			 2002 16,650 
			 2003 16,389 
			 2004 16,323

Road Traffic

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many road traffic accidents were caused by drivers falling asleep in the last year for which figures are available;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to alleviate road traffic accidents caused by drivers falling asleep.

Stephen Ladyman: Research for the Department has established that driver sleepiness is a principle factor in around 10 per cent. of all accidents and about 15 to 20 per cent. of all accidents on motorways and other similar roads.
	Separately, under a pilot scheme, 15 police forces collected data on contributory factors to accidents, 200004. The table shows the estimated proportion of accidents where driver fatigue was deemed to be a contributory factor.
	
		Estimated(68) percentage of accidents where driver fatigue was a contributory factor: by severity: 200004 -- Percentage
		
			  Fatal Serious Slight All accidents 
		
		
			 2000 5 2 1 1 
			 2001 3 2 1 1 
			 2002 3 2 1 1 
			 2003 4 2 1 1 
			 2004 4 2 1 1 
			  
			 200004 4 2 1 1 
		
	
	(68)Estimates are based on data from the pilot contributory factors scheme.
	As a result of the pilot, from January 2005, police nationally are reporting contributory factor data.
	The Department continues to research driver sleepiness topics and a publicity programme aims to help make drivers aware of the dangers of sleep related accidents using motorway variable message signs and through our THINK! publicity campaigns. Those include radio advertising, truck back advertising, partnership marketing and PR. Advice on how to avoid and combat driver tiredness is in the Highway Code and on the Department's THINK! road safety website at:
	www.thinkroadsafety.uk/advice/drivertiredness.htm
	A question on sleep disorders is included in the medical report that all lorry and bus drivers must submit when applying for a licence. In addition, those drivers who have a medical condition likely to cause them to fall asleep at the wheel are required by law to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Following such a notification, an assessment is carried out to determine whether the driver should retain his or her licence.

Road Traffic

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the operation of the Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department issued guidance, related to the Act, to local authorities for consultation in January 1998 and in final form in March 2000, as part of the 'Guidance on Full Local Transport Plans'. Local authorities outside London produced Road Traffic Reduction Act reports in 2000 as annexes to their first five year local transport plans and in London in association with their integrated transport plans.
	Department of Transport guidance issued in December 2004 for the second five year local transport plans includes a requirement for authorities covering each plan areas to each set a target for area wide road traffic levels. The final second transport plans, including the targets, are due to be completed by local authorities outside London by March 2006.

Roads (East Sussex)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to announce funding for the Bexhill to Hastings link road in East Sussex.

Stephen Ladyman: We are currently considering a request from East Sussex county council for a funding contribution towards the preparatory costs for the Bexhill to Hastings link road. We will be informing thecouncil of our decision in due course.

Special Advisers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the special advisers in post in his Department, broken down by pay band; and what the total budgeted cost to his Department of special advisers is for 200506.

Karen Buck: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1257W. Information relating to costs for 200506 will be published after the end of the current financial year.

Trains

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains were overcrowded in each region of the United Kingdom in each year between 1994 and 2004, broken down by train operating company; and what the average percentage of passengers in excess of capacity (PIXC Factor) was for each month in each case.

Derek Twigg: The Department does not hold information on how many trains were overcrowded by region in the UK.
	Passengers in Excess of Capacity (PIXC) applies to weekday commuter trains arriving in London between 7.00 am and 9.59 am and those departing between 4.00pm and 6.59 pm. The measure is derived from the number of passengers travelling in excess of capacity on all services divided by the total number of people travelling, expressed as a percentage. PIXC counts are carried out once a year, on a typical week day during the autumn. I have placed the appropriate tables in the Library.

Transport for London

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government plan to reintroduce legislation to transfer responsibility for train services coming into Greater London to Transport for London.

Karen Buck: The Secretary of State for Transport is currently considering plans to consult on the possibility of extending the London Mayor's powers to include services to some stations just outside the Greater London Authority boundary. There are no plans to reintroduce legislation to transfer responsibility for train services coming into Greater London to Transport for London.

Transport Spending

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's per capita spending is on (a) all transport, (b) light rail and tram schemes and (c) bus subsidies for each local authority area in England.

Karen Buck: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) The Department does not hold information on all of its transport spend at local authority area level in England.
	It does however allocate capital funding to local authorities 1 in England outside London. The per capita allocations 2 for 200405 as made in December 2003 are shown in table 1, which has been placed in the House Libraries. Some of the allocations relate to individual major projects, so for some authorities per capita allocations vary substantially between years.
	1 Per capita figures are shown for each metropolitan county as the Department allocates funding to both the county wide passenger transport authorities and the district councils. Combined figures are shown for a few other local authorities, as they have joint plans. The equivalent funding for London authorities is the responsibility of the London mayor.
	2 The figures include funding for capital highways maintenance, the integrated transport block (for improvement schemes each costing less than 5 million) and for major transport projects (excluding light rail, which is covered elsewhere in this answer). These are allocations not actual spendauthorities have flexibility to spend more or lessand some parts of the allocations were conditional on further progress being made on particular projects.
	(b) For light rail in 200405, the Department provided:
	6 million for Leeds Supertram2.85 per capita in the West Yorkshire area;
	9.7 million for Manchester Metrolink3.82 per capita in the Greater Manchester area;
	4.2 million for Merseytram line 13.08 per capita in the Merseyside area; and
	18 million for Tyne and Wear Metro16.58 per capita in the Tyne and Wear area.
	The Department does not directly fund light rail in London and so it is not possible to calculate the per capita spending on light rail schemes in London.
	(c) Most of the public funding support for bus services outside London is provided either to operators or through the revenue support grant, administered by ODPM, and is not identifiable at local authority level. The Department does provide some grants directly to local authorities for bus services and the per capita distribution of these in 200405 is shown in table 2, which has also been placed in the Libraries of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Chagos Islands

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to expedite a visit of Chagos Islanders to the Chagos Islands.

Douglas Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, via the British high commission in Port Louis is currently exploring with the Government of Mauritius the possibility of chartering a Mauritian vessel for a humanitarian visit by members of the Chagossian community to the Chagos Islands in the first half of 2006. The high commission remains in regular contact with the leader of Chagos Refugee Group, Olivier Bancoult, over the logistics for the visit.

Civil Service Relocation (Scotland)

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many departmental civil service jobs have been relocated to Scotland in each year since 2001.

Douglas Alexander: While the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not relocated any civil service jobs to Scotland since 2001, UK Trade and Investment will be re-locating some 12 posts from London to Glasgow during 2006. UK Trade and Investment is the lead Government organization that supports companies in the UK trading internationally and overseas companies seeking to locate in the UK. It is a joint FCO and the Department of Trade and Industry organisation and draws its staff from both Departments.

Departmental Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure the Department's websites attain the W3C AAA standard of accessibility for people with visual and other disabilities; and if he will set a target date for this standard to be achieved by.

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) follows Government policy on publication on the web which means following the guidelines for UK Government websites and compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 1. Neither these guidelines, e-Accessibility communications from the European Union or advice from the RNIB have ever suggested that Government websites should attain and maintain Level AAA.
	The FCO websites have been designed to be as accessible as possible in line Government guidelines, which currently indicate that websites should meet LevelA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that is the Priority One Checkpoints. They also identify a significant number of the Priority Two and Priority Three Checkpoints, from the Level AAA requirement, that have been deemed to be best practice. For example FCO websites use access-keys (P3 Checkpoint 9.5), provide a site map (P3 Checkpoint 13.3) and search facilities (P3 Checkpoint 13.7).

EU Budget

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on progress of European Union budget discussions.

Douglas Alexander: The UK presidency has completed formal bilateral consultations on the EU budget for 200713 with all member states, as well as Romania and Bulgaria. EU Foreign Ministers have also now had substantive discussions on this issue at the General Affairs and External Relations Councils on 7 November and 21 November. On the basis of those discussions, the UK presidency will table comprehensive proposals in early December, and work towards agreement at the European Council on 1516 December. As my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary told the European Parliament on 16 November, significant changes will be needed to the proposals tabled in June if we are to reach agreement.

EU Committees

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representation the United Kingdom has on the EU's Article 133 Committee.

Douglas Alexander: The Article 133 Committee is a council body established under Article 133 of the EC treaty to assist the Commission in the conduct of the EU's trade policy. The committee is attended by one representative of each EU member state as well the European Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU.
	The Article 133 Committee meets weeklyonce a month in full members format, with attendance by the senior trade official of each member state and three times a month in deputy members format, with attendance by less senior officials. It meets also, although less regularly, in specific sectoral formations, namely services, textiles and steel.
	The UK's full member of the Article 133 Committee is Edmund Hosker, Director of World Trade, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The UK's deputy member of the Article 133 Committee is Ray Symons, Head of the EU Trade Negotiations Unit, DTI.

EU Trade Policy Meetings

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the EU Commission to publish the minutes of EU trade policy meetings.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union publishes outcomes from the Article 133 Committee in accordance with Council Regulation 1049/2001 (Regulation of the European Parliament and Council regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents). These documents can be accessed through the Council's website at http://ue.eu.int. Outcomes from the Article 133 Committee that lead to proposals for EU legislation are agreed by the Council and subject to the normal procedures for parliamentary scrutiny.

European Court of Human Rights

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received a copy of the Internal Auditor's Report on the European Court of Human Rights; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Kim Howells: I can confirm that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received a copy of the Council of Europe's Internal Auditor's report on the European Court of Human Rights.
	As the report is classified confidential by the Council of Europe, we are currently unable to place a copy in the Library. However, we are seeking permission from the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to have this document de-classified. If this request is granted, it will allow us to place a copy of the report in the Library of the House.

Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department took to celebrate and promote the events of (a) Ramadan, (b) Diwali and (c) Chinese new year in 2005.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) took the following steps to celebrate and promote:
	Ramadan: an evening reception at the FCO to mark Eid-al-Fitr (the end of Ramadan) on 22 November 2005. I also hosted a lunch to mark Eid-al-Fitr.
	Diwali: no event hosted by the FCO. However, an official attended a Diwali event hosted by the Hindu Forum Britain at the House of Commons on 27 October 2005 and officials attended a Diwali reception hosted by the Home Office on 14 November 2005. On 11 November a senior FCO official met the President of the Hindu temple at Bhaktivedanta Manor and lit a candle of remembrance on behalf of the FCO for victims of the recent New Delhi bombings.
	Chinese new year: an evening reception at the FCO, hosted by my hon. Friend the then FCO Minister of State (Bill Rammell), on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, on 9 February 2005.
	The FCO intends to host a multi-faith reception in early in 2006.

Foreign Office Appointments (Advertisements)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Foreign Office appointments, other than the post of UK Ambassador to the Holy See, have been advertised in (a) The Economist, (b) The Guardian, (c) The Daily Telegraph, (d) The Independent and (e) The Times in the past five years; which of these were also advertised in national newspapers of Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: As the information requested is lengthy, a list will be placed in the Library of the House.

Global Fund

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the EU will be able to give further funding to the Global Fund under external action.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	The EU (including the EC) is the largest contributor to the Global Fund providing US$2.4 billion up to 2005. At the Global Fund replenishment conference in September 2005 a number of EU donors, including the European Commission, were unable to announce firm pledges for the full two-year period (200607) due to the timing of their budgetary procedures. Nevertheless US$2 billion was pledged by EU countries excluding the EC. The European Commission's 2006 budget is still being finalised and the Financial Perspectives governing the budget from 2007 are yet to be agreed. We expect the details of the Commission's communication about thematic programmes in the next Financial Perspectives, which proposes that a human and social development programme would address health including AIDS issues, will be discussed early next year.
	The EU set out their political commitment to future financing of the Global Fund in the Council Conclusions of May 2005. DFID will continue to encourage donors to do as much as they can to substantially increase their contributions to the Global Fund. A follow-up conference will be held in June 2006 to secure additional pledges to meet the Global Fund's resource needs in 200607.

Human Rights

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what formal procedures are in place within his Department for taking into account for the purposes of UK foreign policy the human rights record of a country.

Ian Pearson: Human rights are mainstreamed within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). British missions abroad, geographic and relevant functional departments in London, are asked to monitor the human rights situations of the countries they are accredited to or work with, and to reflect this in their policy advice to Ministers, their project work and wider engagement with those countries. Mainstreaming is underpinned by regular training on human rights issues for FCO staff, and by support and advice from the FCO's Human Rights, Democracy and Governance Group.

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the 13,500 detainees held by multi-national forces in Iraq are under the age of 18 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: holding answer 23 November 2005
	Thenumber of security internees fluctuates due to the continuous review and release programme and the continuing need to detain individuals for imperative reasons of security. On 18 November 2005, the UK did not hold any individuals under the age of 18 years of the total (33) held by the UK. The US Government has told us that, on 14 November 2005, they were holding approximately 250 security internees who are aged under 18 years old.

Iraq

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many detainees held by multi-national forces in Iraq have been transferred to other countries; and to (a) which countries and (b) what authorities such detainees have been transferred.

Jack Straw: holding answer 23 November 2005
	We are not aware that any security internees have been transferred from Iraq to other countries.

Israel

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has apologised to his Israeli counterpart for the incident involving General Almog at Heathrow airport on 11 September.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke with the Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in September this year. He stated that this had been a private prosecution and that the Government had not played a role in issuing the arrest warrant for General Almog. The Foreign Secretary apologised as a matter of courtesy.
	We are committed to honouring our international obligations under the Geneva Conventions.

Maldives

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the human rights of prisoners of conscience in the Maldives, with particular reference to (a) Mohamed Nasheed and (b) Jennifer Latheef.

Kim Howells: The Government monitor developments in the Maldives closely. We make clear our concerns about democracy and human rights to the Government of the Maldives. The British high commissioner in Colombo accredited to the Maldives did so personally, to President Gayoom in September. The high commissioner and his deputy also separately made representations to Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed in late October.
	The British high commission in Colombo is also active in co-ordinating EU action locally. As Presidency, we led an EU fact-finding mission to the Maldives in August that met Government Ministers, officials and detainees, including Mohamed Nasheed. An EU statement issued on 2 September emphasised the Maldivian authorities' responsibility to uphold the right of political parties to meet freely and to carry out peaceful political activities. It noted the seriousness of the charges against detainees, calling for due process and making clear that the credibility of trials would come under close scrutiny. We will continue bilaterally and with our EU partners to underline to the Government of the Maldives its democracy and human rights obligations.
	We strongly support continued democratic political reforms in the Maldives. We welcomed the legalisation of political parties in June 2005. We are, however, seriously concerned by the Government of the Maldives approach towards the opposition, including the trials of Mohamed Nasheed and Jennifer Latheef, which appear to have political motivations. Freedom of association and expression are essential to the reform process. I discussed these cases with Mohammed Latheef (father of Jennifer Latheef), the Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) Chief Spokesman on 8 November. Mohammed Latheef told me that, in spite of the manner of her incarceration, her treatment by the Maldivian authorities was of an acceptable standard. I trust this will continue to be the case. I assured him of the UK's support for the democratic reform process and human rights in the Maldives. I underlined the importance of the MDP remaining engaged and peacefully committed to the democratic process. We welcome recent moves from the Government of the Maldives to establish dialogue with the MDP. We look forward to seeing early progress. We commend the offices of the Commonwealth Secretary-General's Special Envoy in this regard.

Maldives

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to stop the supply of (a) arms and (b) other weaponry to the Maldives.

Kim Howells: We monitor the supply of arms and weaponry through export controls. The respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination is one of the key criteria. Export licences will not be issued if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression. The UK has no current plans to impose sanctions, such as an arms embargo, against the Government of the Maldives. We are, however, seriously concerned about the human rights situation in the Maldives. We continue to raise those concerns bilaterally and with EU partners.

Maldives

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place an immediate travel ban on members of the Government of the Maldives entering the United Kingdom.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer Igave today (UIN 30906).

Niger

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Niger concerning the reported persecution of Christians in Niger State since the imposition of Shariah law.

Ian Pearson: We are concerned by all incidents of inter-religious conflict and violence in Nigeria, including persecution of individuals on the grounds of their religious belief.
	Representatives of the British high commission in Abuja regularly raise such issues with both the federal and state authorities when they come to our attention and are verified.

Niger

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Niger concerning the reported attack on and torture of the Christian convert Sardauna Anaruwa Sashi by police officers in Niger State in September.

Ian Pearson: The case of Sardauna Anaruwa Sashi had not previously been drawn to our attention, either through the Nigerian media or by human rights organisations based in Nigeria.
	We are concerned by all incidents of inter-religious conflict and violence, including persecution on the grounds of religious belief. We will undertake inquiries in order to verify the reports of this case and, if necessary, will make representations to the Federal Nigerian Government or the Government of the State of Niger.

Overseas Missions

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many (a) embassies, (b) high commissions and (c) consulates the United Kingdom operates; and how many it operated in 1997.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently operates 102 embassies, 42 high commissions and 99 consulates and trade offices. In 1997 the FCO operated 99 embassies, 46 high commissions and 92 consulates and trade offices. Like any well-run organisation, the FCO continues to move its resources flexibly in line with UK interests.

Pakistan (Earthquake)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response the EU has made to the recent earthquake in Pakistan.

Gareth Thomas: I have been asked to reply.
	On 8 October, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale devastated the Muzaffarabad area of northern Pakistan, around 60 miles north-northeast of Islamabad. Approximately 30,000 square miles were severely damaged causing the destruction of 90 per cent. of buildings in the worst hit areas. The death toll has reached nearly 75,000, with approximately 70,000 injured. Nearly 2.5 million people have lost their houses.
	The European Union's civil protection mechanism was activated on 8 October and operated for two weeks until the immediate search and rescue operation was over. Search and rescue teams from member states including the UK arrived within 36 hours and helped save many lives. The presidency had a representative in Islamabad from 10 October, co-ordinating assistance through this mechanism.
	The European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) despatched staff on 8 October, and within 72 hours the European Commission had made 3.6 million available for humanitarian relief operations. A further 10 million has been committed by the EC. The funds have already helped to deliver items including tents, blankets, bedding, water, food and medical supplies to the affected areas. The European Commission has requested a further 80 million (30 million for humanitarian and 50 million for reconstruction) from the EU budgetary authorities. In addition to the 93.6 million from the European Commission, EU member states have pledged over 500 million for humanitarian and reconstruction activities.
	The presidency issued two official statements in the first few days after the earthquake expressing the EU's condolences and willingness to provide as much assistance as possible. The earthquake was discussed in October at meetings with Heads of Government, Finance, Foreign and Development Ministers. I represented the Council of Ministers at the 19 November donor conference in Islamabad and reported back to the 2122 November General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels. At that meeting, Development Ministers agreed on the urgent need to provide practical support to the survivors of the earthquake and the importance of continuing to strengthen the international community's capacity to respond to major natural disasters.

Predictive Diallers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many calls were made from call centres in his Department in 200405 using predictive diallers; how many such calls resulted in contact being made with the recipient without a Government agent available to talk to them; and what assessment he has made of the likely impact of Ofcom's policy on silent calls on the use of predictive diallers in departmental call centres.

Kim Howells: The call centres operating within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office do not deal directly with the public and do not use predictive dialling facilities.

Royal Family (Visits)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 754W, on Prince of Wales (United States visit), what was the cost of the private jet used to convey HRH the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall between Washington DC and New York during their recent visit to the United States; and whether this sum was included in the 330,000 referred to.

Kim Howells: It is not possible to break down the cost for flying between Washington and New York. The aircraft for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's visit to the USA was put out to tender on the basis of a set itinerary which included flying London-New York-Washington-New Orleans-San Francisco-London. I can confirm that the cost of the journey between New York and Washington was included in the 330,000 referred to in the answer my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave my hon. Friend on 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 754W.

Royal Family (Visits)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what unofficial visits abroad by the royal family over the past 12 months have involved (a) overnight stays at UK ambassadors' residences and (b) receptions (i) hosted and (ii) attended by his Department's staff; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The information is as follows.
	Working visit by the Earl of Wessex to the Czech Republic 1819 July 2005: Reception at the residence for Duke of Edinburgh's Award in the Czech Republic.
	Working visit by the Duke of Kent to Washington on behalf of Imperial War Museum 1012 May 2005: Overnight stay and reception at the residence.
	Working visit on behalf of the International Olympic Committee by the Princess Royal to Singapore 39 July 2005: Her Royal Highness attended a reception at the residence.
	Private visit by Princess Alexandra to Austria 1822 November 2005: Her Royal Highness stayed at the residence and attended charity reception at the residence in aid of children in Ethiopia (Bohm Trust).

Royal Family (Visits)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what official visits abroad are planned for members of the royal family in each of the next six months; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: An announcement has already been made on the Royal website concerning the Duke of York's forthcoming official visit to Egypt from 2830 November 2005. Proposals and dates for other official visits overseas by members of the royal family are kept under constant review. It is not the practice to announce such visits until they are firm and all parties concerned have agreed that they can proceed.

Saddam Hussein Trial

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whose responsibility it is to ensure the protection of (a) prosecution and (b) defence lawyers involved in the trial of Saddam Hussein; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 23 November 2005
	The prosecution of Saddam Hussein is being conducted under the Iraqi domestic legal process and therefore the Iraqi Government is responsible for the security of its citizens, including the prosecution and defence lawyers at the trial.

Sir Christopher Meyer

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether SirChristopher Meyer submitted the manuscript of his recent book to his Department for (a) comment and (b) clearance; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Under the diplomatic service regulations, which are based on home civil service codes of conduct, all former ambassadors remain bound by a continuing duty of confidentiality after they have left Crown employment. The regulations require that former members of the diplomatic service should consult their Department before writing memoirs based on their experience and should submit any part of them which draws on official information or experience for clearance by their Department before publication. Departments are required to assess texts for any harm to national security or defence; international relations; and confidential relationships within Government. The first two categories are based on the Official Secrets Act. The third category broadly reflects the common law of confidence. These categories were established in 1976 following the Report of the Committee of Privy Counsellors on Ministerial Memoirs chaired by Lord Radcliffe, which also set a period of 15 years for maintaining confidences within Government. In practice there is a high threshold to establish a breach of the regulations, which are based as much upon well established conventions and standards of conduct expected of all civil servants as on actual legal obligation.
	In the case of Sir Christopher Meyer's memoirs, there was no prior consultation by the author with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) before he entered into a commitment with a publisher and began writing. Following the appearance of a trailer for the book on the Amazon website in May, Sir Christopher Meyer was contacted by the FCO, reminded of the publication rules and repeatedly asked to submit his text to the Department when completed. In the event his book was only submitted to the Cabinet Secretary for comment by his publisher on 7 October, some four weeks before planned publication on 10 November.
	The Cabinet Office sent a copy of the book to the FCO and both Departments reviewed it against the standard criteria for clearing publications under the rules. The judgment, with which I agreed, was made on the particular facts of this case that no changes should be sought primarily because the book posed no national security risk; it contained nothing substantially new which we judged would harm relations with the US; and nothing was specifically identified that was considered so damaging as to require consideration of legal action.
	However, in his letter of 4 November to the publisher, the Cabinet Secretary made it clear that, while the Government had no comments to make on the book, it was disappointing that a former diplomat should disclose confidences gained as a result of his employment. The Cabinet Secretary stated that it was not the Government's responsibility to check the accuracy of remarks attributed to individuals in the book and emphasised that his response should not be taken to indicate any form of official or unofficial approval of the book. A copy of the Cabinet Secretary's letter has been placed in the Library of the House.
	By deciding to write and publish this book, SirChristopher Meyer has broken the trust placed in him as a former servant of the Crown. As I have already said publicly, it is completely unacceptable for former senior civil servants or diplomats to break such trust in this way. It undermines the key relationship between civil servants and Ministers. It is greatly to be regretted that Sir Christopher Meyer has chosen to reveal the substance of conversations with individuals at the centre of sensitive issues, especially as those individuals would not have expected that information to be revealed so soon after the event or in such terms. His disclosures fall well below the standard of discretion expected of former Officials and the conventions set out in the Radcliffe report.
	I note from the comment on this book to date that this view is shared across a very wide political and public spectrum. It has also led to very great concern among the whole of the diplomatic service. The General Secretary of the PDAthe senior civil and public servants' unionhas described the book as utterly wrong and a fundamental breach of trust and confidentiality. The Chairman of the Diplomatic Service Association has called Sir Christopher Meyer's action in publishing
	wholly inconsistent with the high standards of professionalism and integrity of which the service is and should be justifiably proud.
	As many have said, including their noble Lords on 17 November 2005, Official Report, columns 118789, this case calls into question the effectiveness of current publication rules, which depend for much of their effect on norms of conduct and behaviour rather than laws. I am currently examining the relevant diplomatic service regulations with a view to making changes so as to ensure that they more accurately reflect the overall purpose of the regulations and conventions in this field. I hope to make an announcement soon. There is also a wider Government review under way as well as one by the Public Administration Select Committee.

Sir Christopher Meyer

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his call for Sir Christopher Meyer to resign as head of the Press Complaints Commission (a) was made in his ministerial capacity and (b) represents Government policy.

Jack Straw: holding answer 24 November 2005
	I set out the Government's position on the book in the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) today (UIN 26840). My view is that the publication of Sir Christopher Meyer's memoirs also raises questions about his role as Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, as I said in the course of the Today programme on Radio 4 on 11 November.

Uganda

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Ugandan President following the arrest of the opposition leader Dr. Kiiza Besigye on 14 November.

Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) and my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk (Eric Joyce) on 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1901W. Subsequently, my noble Friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Africa (Lord Triesman of Tottenham) also spoke to the Foreign Minister Kutesa on 17 November regarding the situation, and on 18 November, the UK issued a statement on the situation on behalf of the EU.

Uganda

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the implications of the arrest of Kiiza Besigye in Uganda.

Ian Pearson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) and my hon. Friend the Member for Falkirk (Eric Joyce) on 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1901W and to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield (Mary Creagh) today (UIN 30554). The UK, in common with our EU partners, views with deep concern the arrest of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) leader, Dr. Kiiza Besigye, and 22 others on charges including treason. The move to a pluralist democratic system in advance of the next elections in February or March 2006 is seen by theEU as a crucial step in the political development of Uganda. In this regard, the EU is concerned that all parties should be able, and be seen to be able, to compete in a fair and transparent manner. The UK therefore calls for the due legal process and protection guaranteed under the Ugandan Constitution to be made fully available to Dr. Besigye and the others charged, and for those charged to be granted an early, free and transparent trial.

Uganda

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Uganda about the recent imprisonment of presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) on 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1901W, and my hon. Friend the Member for Wakefield (Mary Creagh) and hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) today (UIN 30554 and 30606). The British high commissioner also raised this issue with the Ugandan Prime Minister on 23 November 2005.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the change in the level of enrolment on adult education courses in further education colleges in 200506; and whether she took this information into account when deciding funding priorities for adult education courses in (a) 200607 and (b) 200708, as set out in her Department's Press Notice 2005/0123.

Bill Rammell: Although detailed individual learner data about the current year, 2005/06, was not available when deciding funding priorities for 200608 we and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) had initial information, based on local intelligence, available for the beginning of the academic year. The funding priority work was informed by local LSCs' planning data and trend from earlier years.

At Risk Register

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children died due to mistreatment by an adult responsible for their care in each year since 1989; and how many were on the at risk register at the time.

Maria Eagle: The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) collect information on the number of deaths, illness and other events under Regulation 37 of the Care Homes Regulation 2001. Although CSCI's Regulation and Inspection of Notifiable Incidents database captures this information it is not possible to give a breakdown on the number of children that have died due to mistreatment by an adult responsible for their care as the database does not collect data by this specific category.
	Details are shown as follows of the number of children and young people on child protection registers at 31 March since 1989.
	
		Children on child protection registers at 31 March each year since 1989: England -- Numbers(69)
		
			  All children(70) Boys Girls 
		
		
			 1989 41,200 19,700 21,400 
			 1990 43,600 21,100 22,500 
			 1991 45,300 22,200 23,100 
			 1992 38,600 18,800 19,700 
			 1993 32,500 16,000 16,400 
			 1994 34,900 17,400 17,400 
			 1995 35,000 17,600 17,200 
			 1996 32,400 16,200 16,000 
			 1997 32,400 16,400 15,700 
			 1998 31,600 16,000 15,500 
			 1999 31,900 16,000 15,600 
			 2000 30,300 15,400 14,600 
			 2001 26,800 13,700 12,900 
			 2002 25,700 13,300 12,200 
			 2003 26,600 13,600 12,700 
			 2004 26,300 13,500 12,500 
		
	
	(69)Figures for the years 1989 to 1998 have been estimated and are derived entirely from those councils responding in sufficient detail.
	(70)Figures may not add due to rounding and the 'all children' figures including unborn children.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether assets, buildings and developments that are conventionally financed rather than by private finance initiative under the 'Building Schools for the Future' programme will be subject to the facilities management and maintenance arrangements agreed by local education partnerships.

Jacqui Smith: It is for the local authority as commissioner of services to determine the scope of services that it wishes the Local Education Partnership to be responsible for, including the provision of facilitiesmanagement arrangements for conventionally procured schools.

Bullying

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures are in place to ensure that head teachers thoroughly investigate and act upon incidents of bullying; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: We attach a high priority to helping schools prevent and combat bullying: it is a serious problem which puts the emotional well-being and educational achievement of pupils at risk. All schools should treat bullying seriously and take steps to combat it promptly and firmly whenever and wherever it occurs.
	Since September 1999, head teachers of maintained schools have been under a duty to draw up measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils; this should include the making of rules and provision for enforcing them. Our detailed guidance Don't Suffer in Silence offers further advice on strategies and approaches schools can utilise in investigating and responding to incidents of bullying, alongside those that can be used preventatively. Additionally, many local authorities provide guidance on anti bullying to their schools to supplement and localise the guidance issued by the DfES nationally.

Bullying

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases of bullying were recorded in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Cumbria in each year since 1997; and what the average figures were for English county councils.

Jacqui Smith: As data on bullying are not collected centrally, we do not have statistics relating to incidents of bullying at primary and secondary schools in Cumbria, nor average figures for England. Schools and local authorities are increasingly carrying out local surveys of children and young people's views of bullying to inform the development of their anti bullying strategies. Bullying cases do appear to be reported more often now than before but we have no hard evidence that bullying is increasing or that it is affecting more children.
	However, any level of bullying is too high and we are determined to help schools tackle the problem. Our guidance Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence, the anti-bullying charter and the anti-bullying website www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying offer detailed advice on preventing and addressing bullying. Additionally, we have undertaken a number of public awareness campaigns, including anti bullying week, to encourage and support children to 'tell someone' and seek help if they are being bullied.

Consultants/Special Advisers

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) consultants and (b) special advisers were employed by her Department in each year since 1997; what the cost of each was in each year; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The number of consultants engaged by my Department is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Within the Department for Education and Skills the cost of consultancy charged to administration budgets in each year since 1997 was:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 4.0 
			 199899 5.0 
			 19992000 3.7 
			 200001 4.3 
			 200102 5.0 
			 200203 4.5 
			 200304 4.7 
			 200405 3.9 
		
	
	The total cost of consultancy charged to programme budgets from November 2004 to March 2005 (five months) was 4.4 million. The cost charged to programme budgets before November 2004 was not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Consultancy in this context is defined as investigating problems, providing analysis or advice, or assisting with the development of new systems, new structures or new capabilities within the organisation.
	For special advisers, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1257W.

Contact Orders

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated (i) on how many (A) mothers and (B) fathers do not comply with contact orders after separation and (ii) what the reasons are for non-compliance.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not collected in the form requested. The Government have commissioned substantial research into residence and contact disputes in court. This research indicates that almost a quarter of cases lasted over a year or arose following previous proceedings, indicating that families could be experiencing difficulties with the contact arrangements in the original order. Court file analysis has shown that almost a quarter of cases have two or more repeat applications and about a third of these are the result of enforcement issues, while over a half are instead driven by the need to have a previous order updated. The Government intend to commission further research into how the courts deal with contact disputes and the court orders made.

Damages

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the 10 largest amounts of damages paid out by her Department in the last year for which figures are available, indicating in each case the nature of the claim.

Maria Eagle: No damages have been paid out by the Department for Education and Skills in the last year.

Domestic Violence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure that statutory agencies provide appropriate protection for children who have experienced domestic violence.

Maria Eagle: The Government recognise the strong links between child protection concerns and domestic violence. We have published guidance, for all statutory agencies and other organisations and individuals with a relevant interest, in our inter-agency guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' (1999).
	'Working Together' helps to support the integration of effective local practice and stresses that everyone working with women and children should be alert to the frequent inter-relationship between domestic violence and the abuse and neglect of children. Working Together is being revised and updated and this includes further reinforcing the messages on the links of domestic violence and child protection.
	The 'Every Child Matters: Change for Children' programme will improve the welfare of all children by putting in place arrangements for earlier and more effective assessment and intervention for vulnerable children, including those affected by domestic violence.

Education (Tamworth)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) classroom assistants and (b) full-time equivalent classroom assistant posts there were in schools in the Tamworth constituency in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants in maintained sector schools, including pupil referral units, in the Tamworth Constituency in January of each year.
	The number of full-time equivalent teaching assistant posts in Tamworth is not collected centrally.
	
		Full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants(71)in maintained sector schools(72) ,  including pupil referral units, in the Tamworth constituency(73) 
		
			  Teaching assistant FTE 
		
		
			 1997 110 
			 1998 120 
			 1999 140 
			 2000 140 
			 2001 170 
			 2002 150 
			 2003 210 
			 2004 230 
			 2005 230 
		
	
	(71)Includes teaching assistants, special needs support staff and ethnic minority support staff.
	(72)Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	(73)Data for 2001 may be affected by misclassification of support staff roles following major changes to information systems.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual School Census.

Education Research

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department has undertaken to compare the economic benefits of investing in 14 to 19 education with investment in adult education; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Department has commissioned a wide range of independent academic research into the economic benefits of education and skills and it is an important part of the Department-funded Centre for the Economics of Education (CEE) work programme. Investments in 14 to 19 and adult education may encompass a variety of different types of provision and therefore, any direct comparison of investments in each would have to include all of these different types of learning and the qualifications which they result in. Moreover, investments made in 14 to 19 and adult education are typically complementary rather than competing.
	The economic returns for young people attaining qualifications at school are high with average returns to five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C estimated at 28 per cent. for males and 24 per cent. for females while two or more A levels earn an average return of 15 per cent. for both sexes (McIntosh, 2004).
	While attainment rates at 14 to 19 are improving, there is still a stock of older adults in the labour force with low level or no qualifications that would benefit from access to learning in order to attain qualifications.
	Returns to adult training are more varied with some low-level NVQs generating low or no returns for some individuals. However, the returns to low-level NVQs are higher in certain sectors, when gained in the workplace and for particular groups. For example, adults who undertake their NVQ level 2 through workplace training gain a 6 to 7 per cent. return compared to an individual with no qualifications. (Dearden at el, 2004). In light of this evidence the Government have introduced Employer Training Pilots, which subsidise employers to train low skilled employees to obtain a basic skills or first level 2 qualification. At the end of October 2005, the pilots had signed up 25,938 employers and 213,422 employees and 107,059 learners had successfully completed their learning. Evaluation has shown very high rates of employer and employee satisfaction and a range of benefits are reported by both. On 2 December 2004, the Chancellor announced in his Pre-Budget Report that there will be a National Employer Training Programme, to be rolled-out from April 2006. The programme will be applying the lessons learned from the successful Employer Training Pilots and give employers the opportunity to access publicly funded support to training their low skilled workers.
	There is a current emphasis on improving qualification design to ensure consistently high returns for all qualifications by enhancing the role of employers in shaping provision through Sector Skills Agreements, Centres of Vocational Excellence and National Skills Academies.
	Improving the qualification level of the adult labour force also benefits the economy in terms of improving our relative productivity performance at an international level. O'Mahony and de Boer (2002) estimate that up to 20 per cent. of our productivity gap with France and Germany can be explained by the UK's relatively low skills levels. There are also wider benefits from learning in terms of improved health, reduced crime and increased social cohesion. The Department funds the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning which has produced some estimates of these benefits.

Faith Schools

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many non-religious state (a) primary and (b) secondary schools gained faith school status in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: Non-religious schools cannot gain faith school status. It is possible for a non-religious school to close and for a new faith school to be established on the same site. This would require the following process. There must be local consultation followed by the publication of linked statutory proposals to close the school and open a new faith school. There would then follow a six-week period during which objections/expressions of support may be registered. The school organisation committee would then consider the proposals taking into account a number of factors including the views of local parents and the community. If the committee could not reach unanimous agreement, the proposals would pass to the schools adjudicator to make a decision. Approved proposals must be implemented. Before 1999 these decisions were made by the Secretary of State.
	The number of non-religious state primary and secondary schools that have closed and been replaced by faith schools in each year since 1997 is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Primary Secondary Total 
		
		
			 1997 0 0 0 
			 1998 0 1 1 
			 1999 1 1 2 
			 2000 0 0 0 
			 2001 2 1 3 
			 2002 1 5 6 
			 2003 6 3 9 
			 2004 3 3 6 
			 2005 5 2 7 
			 Total 18 16 34

Free School Meals

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children receiving free school meals achieved five A*-C grades in (a) grammar schools, (b) non-selective schools, (c) academies, (d) city technology colleges, (e) foundation schools and (f) faith schools in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003, (iii) 2004 and (iv) 2005 where the proportion of children entitled to free school meals was (A) five per cent. and less, (B) greater than five but equal to and less than nine per cent., (C) greater than nine and equal to or less than 13 per cent., (D) greater than 13 per cent. and less than or equal to 21 per cent., (E) greater than 21 per cent. and less than or equal to 35 per cent., (F)greater than 35 per cent. and equal to or less than 50 per cent. and (G) more than 50 per cent. of the school's pupil numbers.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is given for 2002, 2003 and 2004 in the following tables. Figures for2005 are not yet available.
	
		Percentage of free school meal (FSM) pupils(74) achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalent(75) in 2002 by school type and percentage of pupils eligible for FSM
		
			   Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in school 
			   Number of schools 
			 Type of school Total number of schools(76) 05.0 FSM 5.19.0 FSM 9.113.0 FSM 13.121.0 FSM 21.135.0 FSM 35.150.0 FSM 50.1 or more FSM 
		
		
			 Grammar(77) 123 112 9 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Non-selective(78) 2,922 367 615 485 576 487 286 106 
			 Academies(79) 
			 City Technology Colleges(79) 13 0 4 2 4 3 0 0 
			 Foundation(79) 472 140 111 79 83 43 13 3 
			 Faith(80) 501 92 111 92 87 69 37 13 
		
	
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in school 
			   Percentage of FSM pupils(74) attaining 5+ A*-C grades 
			 Type of school Total number of schools(76) 05.0 FSM 5.19.0 FSM 9.113.0 FSM 13.121.0 FSM 21.135.0 FSM 35.150.0 FSM 50.1 or more FSM 
		
		
			 Grammar(77) 123 94.0 95.8 83.3 100.0
			 Non-selective(78) 2,922 38.1 30.6 27.3 24.0 21.8 22.8 27.4 
			 Academies(79) 
			 City Technology Colleges(79) 13  70.8 84.0 83.9 65.6   
			 Foundation(79) 472 55.0 34.4 29.0 24.7 27.4 26.6 41.9 
			 Faith(80) 501 52.2 37.2 31.1 32.1 29.3 27.3 28.0 
		
	
	(74)Pupils aged 15 at the beginning of the academic year (i.e. 31 August 2001) that are known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) from the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC).
	(75)These figures include GCSEs and GNVQs only.
	(76)These figures only include schools with at least one 15-year-old pupil eligible for free school meals (FSM).
	(77)Grammar schools are community, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled and foundation schools with a selective admissions policy.
	(78)Non-selective schools are all maintained mainstream schools without a selective admissions policy.
	(79)Figures for academies, city technology colleges and foundation schools are also included in the figures for Grammar and non-selective schools.
	(80)Faith schools are all maintained mainstream schools with a listed religious character in the Annual School Census in 2002. Faith schools are also included in the figures for Grammar and non-selective schools.
	
		Percentage of free school meal (FSM) pupils(81) achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalent(82) in 2003 by school type and percentage of pupils eligible for FSM
		
			   Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in school 
			   Number of schools 
			 Type of school Total number of schools(83) 05.0 FSM 5.19.0 FSM 9.113.0 FSM 13.121.0 FSM 21.135.0 FSM 35.150.0 FSM 50.1 or more FSM 
		
		
			 Grammar(84) 136 124 10 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Non-selective(85) 2,912 398 647 467 555 495 244 106 
			 Academies(86) 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 
			 City Technology Colleges(86) 15 0 4 3 4 4 0 0 
			 Foundation(86) 475 153 112 75 79 40 13 3 
			 Faith(87) 509 103 118 87 84 71 33 13 
		
	
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in school 
			   Percentage of FSM pupils(81) attaining 5+ A*-C grades 
			 Type of school Total number of schools(83) 05.0 FSM 5.19.0 FSM 9.113.0 FSM 13.121.0 FSM 21.135.0 FSM 35.150.0 FSM 50.1 or more FSM 
		
		
			 Grammar(84) 136 91.3 90.2 62.5 95.7
			 Non-selective(85) 2,912 36.2 30.1 26.6 23.3 22.3 23.9 29.6 
			 Academies(86) 3  14.1  
			 City Technology Colleges(86) 15  65.1 79.4 88.4 63.7   
			 Foundation(86) 475 46.5 32.1 25.6 23.8 27.1 24.4 41.2 
			 Faith(87) 509 49.2 37.4 33.1 29.8 27.8 34.1 33.2 
		
	
	(81)Pupils aged 15 at the beginning of the academic year (i.e. 31 August 2001) that are known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) from the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC).
	(82)These figures include GCSEs and GNVQs only.
	(83)These figures only include schools with at least one 15-year-old pupil eligible for free school meals (FSM).
	(84)Grammar schools are community, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled and foundation schools with a selective admissions policy.
	(85) Non-selective schools are all maintained mainstream schools without a selective admissions policy.
	(86) Figures for academies, city technology colleges and foundation schools are also included in the figures for Grammar and non-selective schools.
	(87) Faith schools are all maintained mainstream schools with a listed religious character in the Annual School Census in 2002. Faith schools are also included in the figures for Grammar and non-selective schools.
	
		Percentage of free school meal (FSM) pupils(88) achieving 5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalent(89) in 2004 by school type and percentage of pupils eligible for FSM
		
			   Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in school 
			   Number of schools 
			 Type of school Total number of schools(90) 05.0 FSM 5.19.0 FSM 9.113.0 FSM 13.121.0 FSM 21.135.0 FSM 35.150.0 FSM 50.1 or more FSM 
		
		
			 Grammar(91) 132 118 12 2 0 0 0 0 
			 Non-selective(92) 2,931 397 651 477 563 480 256 107 
			 Academies(93) 11 0 0 0 0 2 7 2 
			 City Technology Colleges(93) 14 0 4 3 4 3 0 0 
			 Foundation(93) 484 154 113 72 89 41 12 3 
			 Faith(94) 510 101 126 85 85 63 40 10 
		
	
	
		
			   Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in school 
			   Percentage of FSM pupils(88) attaining 5+ A*-C grades 
			 Type of school Total number of schools(90) 05.0 FSM 5.19.0 FSM 9.113.0 FSM 13.121.0 FSM 21.135.0 FSM 35.150.0 FSM 50.1 or more FSM 
		
		
			 Grammar(91) 132 91.2 86.4 91.7 
			 Non-selective(92) 2,931 39.2 30.4 26.5 25.0 23.8 25.9 32.6 
			 Academies(93) 11 44.4 20.6 7.5 
			 City Technology Colleges(93) 14  70.7 70.5 88.9 72.2   
			 Foundation(93) 484 51.9 32.1 26.8 25.5 29.4 25.2 43.7 
			 Faith(94) 510 53.6 38.0 33.2 32.8 30.6 36.0 27.6 
		
	
	(88)Pupils aged 15 at the beginning of the academic year (i.e. 31 August 2001) that are known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) from the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC).
	(89)These figures include GCSEs and GNVQs only.
	(90)These figures only include schools with at least one 15-year-old pupil eligible for free school meals (FSM).
	(91)Grammar schools are community, voluntary aided, voluntary controlled and foundation schools with a selective admissions policy.
	(92)Non-selective schools are all maintained mainstream schools without a selective admissions policy.
	(93)Figures for academies, city technology colleges and foundation schools are also included in the figures for Grammar and non-selective schools.
	(94)Faith schools are all maintained mainstream schools with a listed religious character in the Annual School Census in 2002. Faith schools are also included in the figures for Grammar and non-selective schools.

Free School Meals

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children are eligible for free school meals in (a) primary non-faith schools, (b) secondary non-faith schools and (c) faith schools, broken down by (i) Church of England, (ii)Catholic, (iii) Jewish, (iv) Muslim, (v) Sikh, (vi)Hindu and (vii) other category of faith school.

Jacqui Smith: The available information is given in the table. In January 2005 there were no maintained Hindu schools.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(95): number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals by religious character of school as at January 2005England
		
			  Primary Secondary 
			  Number on roll(96) Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(96) Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(97) Number on roll(96) Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(96) Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(97) 
		
		
			 Total 4,205,670 713,680 17.0 3,317,590 465,520 14.0 
			
			 Number religious character 3,000,460 565,650 18.9 2,793,930 401,560 14.4 
			 Church of England 775,680 85,020 11.0 168,960 18,230 10.8 
			 Roman Catholic 405,430 60,610 15.0 320,390 43,430 13.6 
			 Methodist 4,540 650 14.4 (98) (98) (98) 
			 Other Christian faith(99) 9,620 1,210 12.6 27,320 1,610 5.9 
			 Jewish 8,690 250 2.9 5,490 300 5.5 
			 Muslim 800 250 31.5 790 280 35.3 
			 Sikh 210 20 8.0 430 40 10.3 
			 Other 230 20 8.4 290 70 23.3 
		
	
	(95)Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(96)Includes dually registered pupils.
	(97)The number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals expressed as a percentage of the school population.
	(98)Not applicable, no schools of this type.
	(99)Includes schools of mixed denomination or other Christian beliefs.
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census

Further Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will reform career development loans to make them more accessible to further education students; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Career development loans (CDLs) already provide support to students in further education (FE). We are aiming to test changes to CDLs to ensure that they are better able to support the aims of the 2003 Skills Strategy 21st Century Skills: Realising Our Potential, and in particular to make them more accessible to FE learners. We will be testing these new arrangements in 2006/07 and 2007/08 and evaluation of the outcomes will contribute to reform of the programme for the future.

Graduate Teachers Programme

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether she plans to reform the Graduate Teachers Programme; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: No. The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) scheme has been a highly successful initial teacher training programme that continues to attract and recruit large numbers of new high quality trainees, many of whom train in secondary priority subjects and who are employed in schools in areas that find the recruitment of new teachers more difficult. During 2004/05 more than 5,400 new trainees were recruited on to the GTP scheme.

Learning and Skills Council

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the actual expenditure was of the Learning and Skills Council in each year since its inception, broken down into (a) the categories in the grant letter of the relevant year and (b) the categories set out in the grant letter of November 2005.

Bill Rammell: The following tables set out the information requested.
	
		(a) Expenditure from 200102 to 200405 by the categories in the relevant grant letter(100)
		
			 Budget line Expenditure ( million) 
		
		
			 Financial year 200102  
			 Young People 2,411.5 
			 Adults 2,243.7 
			 Infrastructure (includes Capital) 463.4 
			 Administration 249.1 
			 Total 5,367.7 
			 Financial year 200203  
			 Young People 4,057.3 
			 Adults 2,427.2 
			 Standards, Initiatives and Capital 737.5 
			 Administration 236.7 
			 Total 7,458.7 
			   
			 Financial year 200304  
			 Learning Participation 6,272.1 
			 School Sixth Forms 1,525.40 
			 Local Intervention and Development 231.3 
			   
			 Capital 283.0 
			 Administration 238.1 
			 Total 8,549.9 
			   
			 Financial year 200405*  
			 Learning Participation 6,548.7 
			 School Sixth Forms 1,654.8 
			 Local Intervention and Development 125.9 
			 Capital 372.3 
			 Administration 232.9 
			 AME 20.8 
			 Total 8,955.4 
		
	
	
		(b) Expenditure from 200102 to 200405 by the categories in the 200607 grant letter(100) --  million
		
			  Actual spend 
			 Budget line 000s/financial year 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 A. Participation 4,459.1 6,128.7 7,177.1 7,578.5 
			 School Sixth Forms 0.0 1,399.1 1,525.5 1,654.8 
			 1619 FE 1,831.7 1,881.6 2,227.9 2,355.6 
			 Workbased Learning 684.6 816.8 1,065.5 1,104.7 
			 19 plus FE (includes LEA non-PCDL activity) 1,789.3 1,830.6 2,090.1 2,137.6 
			 National Employer Training Programme/ETP 0.0 7.1 32.7 89.0 
			 Personal and Community Development Learning (PCDL) 153.5 193.5 235.6 236.8 
			 Learners with Learning Disabilities and/or Difficulties n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Ufl/learndirect n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  
			 B. Learner Support and Development 512.7 860.3 851.7 750.8 
			 Learner Support Funds 82.4 132.1 161.8 151.5 
			 1419, Skills and Quality Reform 430.3 728.2 689.9 599.4 
			 Capacity and Infrastructure 
			  
			 C. LSC Capital 146.8 233.0 283.0 372.3 
			  
			 D. LSC Administration 249.1 236.7 238.1 232.9 
			  
			 Total DEL expenditure 5,367.7 7,458.7 8,549.9 8,934.6 
			  
			 AME expenditure 0.0 0.0 0.0 20.8 
			  
			 Grand total 5,367.7 7,458.7 8,549.9 8,955.4 
		
	
	(100)The categories used in the various grant letters have changed from year to year, mainly because the line for Young People and Adults were merged into Learner Participation and new lines for Capital, School Sixth forms and Local Intervention and Development were introduced.
	Source:
	The LSC expenditure totals up to 200304 are consistent with LSC published Annual Accounts. For 200405 the expenditure is as signed off by the NAO and contained on the Annual Report and Accounts which are due to be laid before Parliament on 28 November and issued more widely a few days later.

Learning and Skills Council

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the money saved by changes to the structure of the Learning and Skills Council will (a) remain in the further education budget and (b) be allocated to further education colleges; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The LSC has announced its funding plans for the academic years 2006/07 and 2007/08 through its document Priorities for Success'. The plans include a significant transfer of funds out of centrally-held budgets in both the DfES and LSC for consolidation into core sector funding and they reflect an assessment of efficiency savings. They will deliver an estimated 3 per cent. cash increase on allocations to colleges, schools and providers in each of 2006/07 and 2007/08. There will be variations around this average and the LSC will be working with individual colleges, schools and providers over the coming months on the implications for their own budgets.
	The LSC is embarking upon a major transformation programme that will make it a smaller, more dynamic and more customer-focused organisation. It is currently in the process of consulting on the programme and will be developing its detailed plans once the consultation period has concluded.

Literacy

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on progress with the review of the National Literacy Strategy.

Jacqui Smith: The National Literacy Strategynow part of the Primary National Strategywas introduced in 1998. Parts of the Primary National Strategy will be affected by the Rose review of best practice in the early teaching of reading and the renewal of the non-statutory frameworks for teaching literacy and maths. The Rose review will report in early 2006. The new frameworks will be available for schools in September 2006. The framework for teaching literacy will reflect the conclusions of the Rose review.

Looked-after Children (Safeguards)

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the evidential basis was for the statement in her Department's guidelines Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Induced or Fabricated by Carers with Parenting Responsibilities, on the likelihood of it being the correct explanation for a child's symptoms is the involvement of carers and that the case should be referred to social services.

Maria Eagle: The Government's guidance, Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced (2002), focuses on children when there is a concern that the child is or is likely to suffer harm as a result of their carer inducing or fabricating illness. The key issue is the impact of fabricated or induced illness on the child's health and development, and consideration of how best to safeguard the child's welfare. The guidance emphasises the importance of carefully evaluating the child's signs and symptoms of illness in order to understand the reasons for them and that professionals should be open to all possible explanations. The question refers to the consultation version of this guidance, the final version of which has an amended title and content. The sentence in question sets out the process that should be followed when there is a concern that illness in a child might be being induced or fabricated. It relates to the previous section on the medical evaluation of a child's signs and symptoms.

Marshall Aid/Scholarships

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the operation of (a) the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 and (b) the Marshall Scholarships Act 1959.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 and the Marshall Scholarships Act 1959 form the basis of theoperation of the Marshall Scholarships Scheme. The scheme is functioning well and in full compliance with both Acts.

Marshall Aid/Scholarships

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much her Department spent on Marshall scholarships in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has allocated the following funding, as Grant in Aid, to the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, in order to provide and manage the Marshall Scholarships scheme:
	
		
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 200506 2,178,000 
			 200405 2,083,784 
			 200304 1,962,000 
			 200203 1,960,915 
			 200102 1,833,743 
			 200001 1,694,610 
			 19992000 1,661,097 
			 199899 1,518,000 
			 199798 1,486,000 
			 199696 1,401,000

Marshall Aid/Scholarships

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) males and (b) females were refused scholarships under the Marshall Aid Commemoration Act 1953 in 200405; and what the reason for the refusal was in each case.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	Of the 828 unsuccessful candidates for the 200405 competition, 396 were men and 432 were women.
	A total of 871 applications for scholarships were received and 43 scholarships were awarded, of which 23 were awarded to men and 20 were awarded to women.
	We cannot offer the reason for refusal in each case because to do so would require us to provide personal details of applicants and would incur disproportionate costs.

Milwaukee Charter Schools Programme

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions her Department has held with representatives of the education sector in the state of Minnesota, US.

Bill Rammell: In March 2005, a delegation of teachers, principals and Minnesota State Education Officials visited the UK to meet local education authorities and schools in Southwark and Milton Keynes. In addition, the group held discussions with representatives from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, the Office for Standards in Education, the National Association of Educational Inspectors, Advisers and Consultants and the Department for Education and Skills. The aim of the visit was to discuss best practice in policy relating to course content, teaching methods and other instructional strategies in schools with diverse student populations.
	Shortly afterwards, a group of teachers from Milton Keynes visited Minnesota to learn about good practice in the provision of English as an Additional Language (EAL) programming in the US. The visit was part of the Teachers' International Professional Development Programme (TIPD), funded by DfES and managed by the British Council.

MORI Poll

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish the results of the MORI poll entitled Attitudes to Fees in Further Education, conducted during September and referred to in her Department's Press Notice 2005/0123.

Bill Rammell: In line with my Department's standard practice on research findings these results were published on the Department's website on 11 November 2005.

New Schools

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) community, (b) voluntary aided, (c) voluntary controlled, (d) academy and (e) foundation schools have been opened in each of the last eight years, broken down by local education authority; and how many places there were in each school.

Jacqui Smith: Some 1,016 maintained primary and secondary schools have opened since January 1997, as follows:
	
		
			  County(101) Grant maintained Community Voluntary aided Voluntary controlled Foundation Academy 
		
		
			 1997 54 14 0 10 7 0 0 
			 1998 64 0 0 9 4 0 0 
			 1999 94 1 0 11 3 0 0 
			 2000 46 0 42 13 6 0 0 
			 2001 17 0 98 24 10 1 0 
			 2002 3 0 81 17 7 2 2 
			 2003 0 0 83 15 11 1 9 
			 2004 0 0 94 23 5 1 6 
			 2005 0 0 82 21 12 3 10 
			 Total 278 15 480 143 65 8 27 
		
	
	(101)Opened prior to September 1999 (i.e. before the current Schools Framework was introduced.
	The figures include schools that have opened as a result of an amalgamation or local reorganisation of schools and also those where the school has opened in place of a closing school e.g. to gain a religious character or a fresh start school.
	A further table detailing the new schools by year, school category, local authority and number of places has been placed in the Library.

Ofsted Ratings

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of (a) faith schools and (b) non-faith schools have been awarded a (i) grade 3, (ii) grade 4 and (iii) grade 5 rating by Ofsted inspectors.

Jacqui Smith: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his letter has been placed in the Library.
	Letter from David Bell to Dr. Ashok Kumar, dated 24 November 2005
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Dr Ashok Kumar (Middlesbrough South  East Cleveland): To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what percentage of (a) faith schools and (b) non-faith schools have been awarded a (i) grade 3, (ii) grade 4 and (iii) grade 5 rating by Ofsted inspectors.
	The tables attached show the percentage of schools by different levels of effectiveness, by faith and non-faith school, inspected during the academic year 2004/05. In addition to the specific grades you asked for, I have included 'grade 6', no schools fell into the 'grade 7' category.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jacqui Smith and will be placed in the Library of both houses.
	
		Overall effectiveness of primary schools: 2004/05 -- Percentage
		
			  Faith schools Non-faith schools 
		
		
			 Effective (grade 3) 48 50 
			 Fairly effective (grade 4) 26 28 
			 Ineffective (grade 5) 4 4 
			 Very ineffective (grade 6) (102) 1 
		
	
	(102)Indicates less than 0.5 per cent. but greater than 0.
	
		Overall effectiveness of secondary schools: 2004/05 -- Percentage
		
			  Faith schools Non-faith schools 
		
		
			 Effective (grade 3) 40 45 
			 Fairly effective (grade 4) 27 23 
			 Ineffective (grade 5) 4 5 
			 Very ineffective (grade 6) 1 2 
		
	
	Note:
	No primary or secondary schools were graded 7 2004/05.

Pay Restructuring

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to introduce pay restructuring into schools; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Reforms to teachers' pay, which include the replacement of management allowances with teaching and learning responsibility payments and the introduction of a new excellent teacher grade, will come into effect from 2006. Schools have a three year period from the beginning of 2006 in which to implement these changes. It is for individual schools to apply these reforms in accordance with their three-year implementation plan, at a pace which best suits their needs, following a review of their staffing structures.

Pay Restructuring

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of staff morale following the announcement of the proposal to restructure pay in schools; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The reviews of staffing structures currently under way build on work force remodelling and enable the introduction of pay reforms. These have been developed with the co-operation and agreement of representatives of teachers and support staff who work in social partnership with the Department, and in line with recommendations from the independent School Teachers' Review Body. The reviews are a vital development providing a focus on raising the standards of teaching and learning in schools and rewarding teachers appropriately and fairly. With our partners we will continue to monitor the implementation of these changes.

Physical Education

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Education and Skills what definition she uses of high quality physical education and school sport in respect of the 2004 Public Service Agreement target number 9.

Jacqui Smith: The document, High Quality PE and Sport for Young People (DfES/DCMS, March 2004), provides a detailed description of the outcomes of high quality physical education and school sport. For the purposes of the joint DfES/DCMS PE and school sport public service agreement target, high quality PE and school sport produces young people with the skills, understanding, desire and commitment to continue to improve and achieve in a range of PE, sport and health-enhancing physical activities, in line with their abilities.
	A further document, Do You Have High Quality PE and Sport in Your School? (DfES/DCMS, January 2005), helps teachers to use the pupil outcomes of high quality to carry out self evaluation of the quality of PE and sport they provide. Copies of these documents have been placed in the house Libraries.

Public Service Agreements

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what recent assessment she has made of the attainability of 2004 public service agreement target number 10;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the attainability of the 2004 public service agreement target number 7.

Jacqui Smith: Progress against the Department's outstanding public service agreements (PSAs) was most recently reported in the 2005 departmental report, published in June 2005, together with the Department's assessment towards achievement of the targets. A copy of the departmental report is available from the House of Commons Library. Further progress will be reported in the 2005 autumn performance report due to be published later this year.
	Provisional results for 2005 GCSE and equivalent examinations were published in a statistical first release (SFR) on 20 October 2005. The data show 55.7 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more GCSE or equivalent at grades A*-C. This represents an increase of two percentage points compared with 2004 and an increase of 10.6 percentage points compared with 1997.
	Provisional results for 2005 key stage 3 tests were published in an SFR on 8 September 2005. The data show 74 per cent. of pupils achieved level 5 and above in English; 74 per cent. in mathematics; 70 per cent. in science; and 69 per cent. in ICT. The corresponding figures for 2004 are: 71 per cent.; 73 per cent.; 66 per cent. and 67 per cent. respectively. In 1997, 57 per cent. of pupils achieved level 5 and above in English; 60 per cent. in mathematics; 60 per cent. in science; and 50 per cent. in ICT.
	The numbers of schools below key stage 3 and GCSE and equivalent floor targets will be published in early 2006.

Public Service Agreements

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the timescales are for the achievement of all aspects of 2004 Public Service Agreement target number 14.

Bill Rammell: The precise wording of the 2004 Public Service Agreement target number 14 is:
	By 2010, increase participation in higher education towards 50% of those aged 18 to 30; and also make significant progress year on year towards fair access; and bear down on non-completion rates.
	Only the first part of the target, on increasing participation, has a specific timescale. We measure the other aspirations year-on-year.

Reasoning

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the progress of the uniTEST trial; and whether the national launch is planned for 2007.

Bill Rammell: The UniTEST is a new test of aptitude for higher education, being developed jointly by Cambridge Assessment and the Australian Council for Educational Research. On the basis of information provided by Cambridge Assessment, I understand that the first small-scale trial of the test took place on 22 September 2005 and that their current plans are to carry out a validity study early in May 2006 with a view to offering the test from 2007 to higher education institutions who wish to participate.

Richmond-upon-Thames Group Schools Project

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) capital value and (b) total value is of the private finance initiative project for the Richmond-upon-Thames group schools project; and what percentage of the contract is attributable to capital value.

Jacqui Smith: The Richmond-upon-Thames group schools PFI project involved six primary schools, two of which were new build and four of which were re-modelled and expanded. The schools became operational in September 2004. According to information supplied by the local authority, whose contract this is, the capital value of the project was 23.8 million. The term 'total value' is usually taken to mean the total amount of payments to be made during the term of the contract; this is a commercial matter between the local authority and its private sector partner and we do not hold this information. The project was supported by central Government with the allocation of 16.77 million in PFI credits.

School Admissions

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received from schools on the consultation period for the proposed change in admissions procedures; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The consultation period for the revised codes of practice for school admissions and school admission appeals complied with Cabinet Office guidelines. From 130 responses received from schools, only 17 expressed some concern that the consultation covered the summer break, although more than half of the overall period did not.

School Councils

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of schools allow pupil participation in the running of the school through school councils.

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills does not collect this data. The Government's commitment to the role of school councils is reflected in the recently published White Paper, Higher Standards, Better Schools For AH. The Government are working closely with School Councils UK, to produce guidance for primary schools. The guidance for secondary schools will also be updated to give stronger encouragement for school councils to be engaged in decision-making. We have asked School Councils UK to establish a network for schools and their councils to talk to each other and share good practice. School councils have a vital role to play, alongside better parental engagement, in promoting schools as strong community institutions.

School Finance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Tamworth which will have a budget surplus in the 200506 financial year.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not yet available. The Department is due to collect the section 52 outturn data relating to the 200506 financial year from October 2006.

School Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the extent is of the funding gap between schools and colleges; and what plans the Government have to close this gap.

Bill Rammell: The Secretary of State announced on 16 November 2005 our plans for narrowing the funding gap between school sixth forms and further education (FE) colleges for like-for-like 1619 provision. We recognise that the funding gap will not be easy to close but we have taken some important steps in the funding package we announced on 21 October 2005. We have confirmed that for young people in FE in 2006/07 we will match the schools' minimum funding guarantee, which will be announced later this year. We estimate that this, together with other measures to correct technical anomalies, will reduce the gap from 13 per cent. to 8 per cent. by 2006/07. From 2008 we will look to bring consistency to the treatment of student retention and achievement across school sixth forms and colleges which we expect to narrow the gap by a further 3 per cent. Beyond that we will work to establish a common funding approach across the two sectors as part of the Learning and Skills Council's agenda for change.

School Finance

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the financial surplus or deficit for each (a) primary and (b) secondary school in each education authority in England was in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

School Pupils

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school age children there were in each local education authority in (i) 1990, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2005; what the forecasted figures are for each authority in each year from 2006 to 2016; and if she will list the assumptions behind those forecasts.

Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of pupils in primary and secondary schools for 1990, 1997, 2000 and 2005 has been placed in the Library.
	Local authorities provide the Department with forecasts of pupil numbers as part of the annual surplus school places survey. The forecasts cover four years for primary pupils and seven years for secondary pupils. For the purposes of this exercise all schools, including middle deemed schools are categorised as either primary or secondary schools.
	The forecast figures for each authority from 2006/07 to 2007/08 (primary schools) and 2006/07 to 2010/11 (secondary schools) have been placed in the Library. We do not collect authorities' assumptions behind these forecasts.

School Transport

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of school transport costs associated with the proposals contained in the Education White Paper.

Jacqui Smith: The White Paper proposes legislation to improve home to school travel and transport arrangements in three main respects:
	By placing a general duty on local authorities to support choice and flexibility of educational provision, to assess the travel and transport needs of all pupils, and promote safe and sustainable travel to school;
	By extending entitlement to free home to school transport for low income families (for secondary aged pupils to any one of the three nearest suitable schools, where the distance travelled is between two and six miles; and for primary aged pupils aged over eight, to their nearest school where this is more than two miles from their home);
	By enabling a small number of local authorities to propose Pathfinder schemes to test innovative approaches to home to school transport to support school choice, reduce the distances pupils are expected to walk to school, and increase the proportion of pupils travelling by sustainable means.
	The estimated cost of the new general duty is 4 million per annum; the extension of entitlement for low income families is estimated to be 40 million per annum; and the Department will support Pathfinder schemes with 4 million pump priming and annual revenue support building up over several years to 12 million. Full costings and related assumptions will be included in the Regulatory Impact Assessment that will accompany the Bill.

School Trips

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people under the age of 18 years have been killed in accidents during school trips in each of the last five years; and how many of these were killed while undertaking adventurous activities.

Jacqui Smith: The numbers of pupils under 18 years from schools in England dying from accidental injuries on educational visits in the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2005 1 
			 2004 2 
			 2003 2 
			 2002 2 
			 2001 7 
		
	
	One fatality occurred during a climbing, caving, trekking or water activity safety-inspected by the Government. One further fatality occurred during an activity overseas which the Government would have inspected in the UK.

Schoolchildren (Financial Assistance)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will take steps to provide assistance to children who are eligible for free school meals with the costs of (a) school uniforms and (b) school sports wear;
	(2)  if she will issue guidance to schools on limiting the cost of school uniforms.

Jacqui Smith: Local authorities have discretionary powers to provide school clothing and/or school clothing grants. They set their own eligibility criteria. Individual local authorities decide whether to provide grants, as they are best placed to determine the level of need in their area.
	Current DfES guidance on school uniform advises governing bodies to give high priority to cost considerations when they set their school uniform policy. It advises that they should keep costs to a minimum by, for example, ensuring that uniform includes generic products that can be purchased in supermarkets and high street stores. It also states that no school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling socially excluded.

Schools (Hemel Hempstead)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) full-time equivalent teaching posts there were in schools in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The table provides the full-time equivalent number of teachers in service in maintained sector schools, including pupil referral units, in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each January since 1997.
	The number of full-time equivalent teaching posts in Hemel Hempstead is not collected centrally.
	
		Full-time equivalent number of teachers in maintained sector schools(103), including pupil referral units, in Hemel Hempstead constituency
		
			  Teachers FTE 
		
		
			 1997 830 
			 1998 850 
			 1999 860 
			 2000 850 
			 2001 880 
			 2002 890 
			 2003 910 
			 2004 900 
			 2005 930 
		
	
	(103)Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual School Census.

Schools (Hemel Hempstead)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what property her Department owns in Hemel Hempstead constituency.

Maria Eagle: The Department does not own any property in Hemel Hempstead.

Schools Inspection Framework

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to introduce the new inspection framework; what representations have been made to her by schools on this framework; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The new school inspection framework was published in July 2005 and came into effect from September 2005. The framework, and the new inspection arrangements more generally, were subject to extensive consultation and trialling, and received widespread support from schools, parents and others.
	The Childcare Bill introduced on 8 November 2005 includes provision for a reformed and simplified inspection and regulation regime for early years. Subject to parliamentary approval, this will lead to changes in the inspection framework for all settings, including schools, catering for children aged 0 to 5 from 2008. There will be full consultation on the development of these new arrangements.

Special Advisers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the special advisers in post in her Department, broken down by pay band; and what the total budgeted cost to her Department of special advisers is for 200506.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1257W.
	Information relating to costs for 200506 will be published after the end of the current financial year.

Special Needs Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special needs schools have been established since 1997.

Maria Eagle: 298 schools have been established or registered to admit children with special educational needs since 1997.
	This figure includes local authority maintained special schoolscommunity special or foundation special schools; non-maintained special schools, which are run by charities or charitable trusts; independent special schools which are approved by the Department to make provision for pupils with SEN; and other independent schools that are registered with the Department as catering wholly or mainly for children with statements. Before a child with special educational needs can be placed at the latter, the Secretary of State's consent is required.

Teachers

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average pay of (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers holding (i) education degrees, (ii) master's degrees and (iii) doctorates was in 200405.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not held in the format requested.
	Information on the average salary of teachers gainingqualified teacher status through undergraduate (education degrees) and post graduate (PGCE) routes into teaching was published by the department on 27 October 2005. The information was collected from a sample of teachers between three and a half and four years after they completed their undergraduate degrees in 1999. This shows that the average salary of teachers trained by the undergraduate route was 23,000 for primary teachers and 24,300 for secondary teachers. The figures for teachers with PGCEs were 20,700 and 21,900 respectively. The teachers may have entered teaching immediately after graduating or may have delayed entry. Teachers qualifying with a PGCE will generally have entered service later than those qualifying through undergraduate routes and will be on a lower point of the teacher's pay scale.

Teachers

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of teachers who have a second source of income from work other than teaching.

Jacqui Smith: No such estimate has been made.

Teachers

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) schools and (b) local education authorities have submitted representations on planning, preparation and assessment time since the beginning of the autumn term.

Jacqui Smith: We and the National Remodelling Team (NRT), together with our partners on the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG), have engaged with a large number of schools and local authorities over our workforce reform programmeincluding on planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time for teachers.
	The latest information indicates that almost every school has successfully introduced PPA time. NRT and WAMG are working to address the handful of schools that still need support.

Temporary Classrooms (Gravesham)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many temporary classrooms are in use for lessons in schools in Gravesham.

Jacqui Smith: Data supplied to the Department by Kent local education authority in 2003 showed 87 temporary buildings at schools in Gravesham. Where these buildings are used for teaching, they may accommodate one or more classrooms.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under 700 million in 199697 to 5.5 billion this year and will rise further to over 6.3 billion by 200708. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority.

Truancy

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were recorded as having at least one incident of truancy in 200405.

Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth on 24 November 2005, Official Report, column 1652.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of the home literacy environment upon underachievement (a) nationally and (b) by children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: There is strong evidence on the importance of the home literacy environment for the achievement of children from all social backgrounds. Family learning schemes set up by the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Agency in the mid 1990's, which focusedon families with parents with poor literacy skills, resulted in sustained, statistically significant improvements in writing for both parents and children, and associated increases in their levels of confidence 1 .
	More generally, parental involvement in the form of at-home good parenting, which includes encouragement and participation in learning, has a significant positive effect on children's achievement. This is true even after all other factors shaping attainment have been taken into account. The impact is evident across all social classes and all ethnic groups. Good parenting helps shape the child's self concept as a learner and encourages high aspirations 2 .
	The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education Study found that the children whose parents actively engaged them in educational activities did better at the end of key stage 1 3 . Seventy per cent. of parents read to their children and almost three quarters think their role in their children's education is important 4 . However, the Skills for Life Survey showed that parents with lower literacy levels are much less likely to help and less likely to be confident in helping their children with reading 5
	In the light of such evidence the Department is actively supporting the development of literacy provision for adults, including family learning, within its Skills for Life programme. Other steps being taken to improve the home literacy environment for parents and their children from low socio-economic backgrounds in particular are outlined in my response to PQ no. 26092.
	1 Assessments include: Brooks et al Family literacy work Basic Skills Agency 1996.
	2 Desforges, C  Abouchaar A The Impact of Parental Involvement, Parental Support and Family Education on Pupil Achievement and Adjustment: A Literature Review. Research Report 433 DfES 2003.
	3 Sylva, K et al The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project: Final Report Sure Start/loE 2004.
	4 Moon et al Parental Involvement in Children's Education Research Report 589 DfES 2004.
	5 Williams et al The Skills for Life Survey: A national needs and impact survey of literacy, numeracy  ICT Research Report 490 DfES 2003.

University Grants

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of students from (a) Tamworth, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England beginning university in the 2005/06 academic year are in receipt of a grant from their local education authority.

Bill Rammell: The numbers of new entrants to higher education in 2004/05 domiciled in Staffordshire, and England, in receipt of a statutory grant are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Staffordshire 1,900 
			 England 108,100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Grants included are the Higher Education Grant, Adult Dependent Grant, Care Leavers Grant, Childcare Grant, Disabled Students Allowance (equipment, non-medical helpers, general, or travel), Lone Parents Grant, and Parental Learning Allowance.
	2.Numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Source:
	Student Loans Company.
	Data are not available at a constituency level. Data for 2005/06 will be available in summer 2006.
	The percentage of students receiving a grant is not calculable as the corresponding underlying population data for 2004/05 will not be available until early 2006.

University League Tables

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effect of published university league tables on the recruitment by universities of (a) home and EU students and (b) international students.

Bill Rammell: None. The Government neither produce nor endorse any university league tables. But demand from all groups of students has risen to record levels with an extra 400,000 students accepted in 2005 to enter UK higher education institutions. We believe demand is helped by publicly available information about the performance of higher education institutions.

Victoria Centre, Gravesham

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been allocated to the Victoria Centre in Gravesham for adult education in 200607.

Bill Rammell: The Department has allocated more than 2.5 billion for adult education in 200607. This includes some 1,933 million for adult further education, 230 million for NETP/ETP, 210 million for personal and community development learning and 202.7 million for adult work based learning.
	On the 21 October, I wrote to all MPs setting out the Government's strategic direction for the learning and skills sector for the coming period. The purpose of the announcement was to ensure the 2006/07 funding allocations process began with a clear and concise message on the principles that will underpin funding over the next two years.
	While total funding going into the learning and skills sector will increase over the next two years there is a need to rebalance spending toward priority areas which include helping disadvantaged adults gain basic and level 2 skills for employability and progression to level 3.
	As the allocations process for 2006/07 has only just begun we do not know how much funding will be allocated locally. However, allocations for FE and personal and community development learning to Kent county council, which the Victoria Centre is part of, will reflect our priorities.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Abuse (Insurance Premiums)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been paid in insurance premiums by local authorities in relation to complaints of (a) sexual and (b) physical abuse arising out of residence in (i) care and (ii) residential schools in each year since 1992.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department does not hold this information.

Affordable Housing Units

Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many affordable housing units expected to be built or procured through the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme and Challenge Fund in the East of England Region will be (a) mixed funded social rented housing, (b) temporary social rented housing, (c) homebuy general market purchase, (d) homebuy general new build, (e) mixed funded low cost home ownership for sale, (f) miscellaneous works to registered social landlord stock, (g) reimprovements to rented RSL stock, (h) works only rehabilitation of rented RSL stock, (i) works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale, (j) intermediate rent for key workers, (k) homebuy market purchase for key workers, (l) homebuy new build for key workers, (m) mixed funded sale for key workers, (n) right to acquire, (o) voluntary purchase grant, (p) starter home initiative, (q) do-it-yourself shared ownership and (r) temporary intermediate and market rent housing in (i) 200506, (ii) 200607 and (iii) 200708; and how much he expects to be spent on each category in each year.

Yvette Cooper: The following tables show the latest estimated completions and expenditure in the East of England region for 200506 through the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme, including Challenge Fund, for categories from (a) to (r). Funding and completions are not directly comparable, as funding will relate to projects running, not necessarily units completed, in any one year.
	
		Estimated completions for East of England region in 200506
		
			   Units 
		
		
			 (a) Mixed funded social rent 2,415 
			 (b) Temporary social rent 5 
			 (c) Homebuy market purchase 189 
			 (d) Homebuy new build 3 
			 (e) Mixed funded for sale 592 
			 (f) Miscellaneous works to RSL stock 8 
			 (g) Reimprovements to RSL rented stock 12 
			 (h) Works only rehabilitation of RSL rented stock 2 
			 (i) Works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale 0 
			 (j) Intermediate rent for key workers 73 
			 (k) Homebuy market purchase for key workers 676 
			 (1) Homebuy new build for key workers 0 
			 (m) Mixed funded for sale for key workers 139 
			 (n) Right to acquire 6 
			 (o) Voluntary purchase grant 0 
			 (p) Starter home initiative 0 
			 (q) Do-it-yourself shared ownership 0 
			 (r) Temporary intermediate and market rent housing 0 
		
	
	
		Estimated expenditure in East of England region for 200506
		
			million 
		
		
			 (a) Mixed funded social rent 67.216 
			 (b) Temporary social rent 0.049 
			 (c) Homebuy market purchase 5.708 
			 (d) Homebuy new build 0.004 
			 (e) Mixed funded for sale 6.005 
			 (f) Miscellaneous works to RSL stock 0.154 
			 (g) Reimprovements to RSL rented stock 0.207 
			 (h) Works only rehabilitation of RSL rented stock 0.002 
			 (i) Works only rehabilitation of RSL stock for sale 0.000 
			 (j) Intermediate rent for key workers 3.838 
			 (k) Homebuy market purchase for key workers 27.495 
			 (1) Homebuy new build for key workers 0.235 
			 (m) Mixed funded for sale for key workers 3.610 
			 (n) Right to acquire 0.072 
			 (o) Voluntary purchase grant 0.000 
			 (p) Starter home initiative 0.000 
			 (q) Do-it-yourself shared ownership 0.000 
			 (r) Temporary intermediate and market rent housing 0.000 
		
	
	For 200607 and 200708 Regional Housing Boards have made recommendations to Ministers for the allocation of Regional Housing Pots funds. The Eastern Regional Housing Board has recommended that from their allocation of 432 million for the two years a total of 356 million should be allocated to the provision of affordable housing. However, the exact distribution of funding between programmes for 200608 will not be known until the completion of the Housing Corporation's bidding process.
	In August 2005 the Housing Corporation launched the bidding round for the 200608 Affordable Housing Programme (AHP). This invited both registered social landlords and non-registered bodies to apply for funds to develop affordable housing based on priorities set by the Regional Housing Boards. The outcome of this bidding round will not be known until early in 2006.

Cabinet Appointment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the estimated cost to his Department is in 200506 of making the Minister of Communities and local government a Cabinet Minister.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information about the level of individual ministerial salaries is available in the Library of the House.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Margaret Moran: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many compulsory purchase orders have been made on empty properties by (a) Luton council and (b) the local authority recorded as the best performing in each of the last three years.

Yvette Cooper: Luton borough council has, in the last three years, made one compulsory purchase order on an empty property.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect data on the number of compulsory purchase orders made each year by local authorities.

Consultants

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to his Department was of hiring consultants in the last year for which figures are available; how many consultants were hired; and from which firms.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The total cost of consultants hired during the financial year 200405 was 79,831,087.
	The number of consultants hired by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 June 2005, Official Report, columns 66669W to my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell).

Correspondence

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many letters (a) he and (b) the Minister of Communities and local government have written since May.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has written over 800 letters and my right hon. Friend the Minister for Communities and local government has written over 1,600 letters since May 2005.
	The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on Departments' and Agencies' performance on handling Members' and peers' correspondence. The Report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, column 137WS.

Council Bungalows

Ben Chapman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued to local authorities on eligibility for those other than pensioners for housing in council-owned bungalows.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not issued guidance to local authorities on this matter.
	It is for local authorities to ensure that they make the best use of their stock to meet the housing needs in their district, including accommodation which is accessible or readily adapted for use by people with access needs.
	Local authorities must give reasonable preference to certain categories of people when allocating social housing, including those who need to move on medical and welfare grounds. The legislation has recently been amended to make clear that medical and welfare grounds include grounds relating to a disability. This was intended to ensure that people with access needs are given appropriate priority for social housing; and that accessible housing is allocated to those who need it most.

Council Tax Revaluation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Valuation Office Agency is continuing to collect (a) dwelling house codes and (b) value significance codes data, following the postponement of the council tax revaluation.

Phil Woolas: Listing officers of the Valuation Office Agency continue to collect data as required, as part of their statutory responsibility to maintain valuation lists for council tax purposes.

Design for Manufacture Competition

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 876W to the hon. Member for Meriden(Mrs. Spelman), on Design for Manufacture competition, how many of the 430 affordable homes being built on former NHS sites under the Design for Manufacture competition will be (a) social rented units, (b) for sale under a shared equity scheme and (c) for sale at 60,000.

Yvette Cooper: In my answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 876W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), I stated the anticipated numbers of affordable housing units expected on each of the ten sites within the Design for Manufacture competition. It will not be possible to provide precise breakdowns of housing types and tenures until all final bids have been received and evaluated for all the sites, and planning processes completed.
	Successful developers were announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on 3 November 2005 for four of the Design for Manufacture sites. This included Renny Lodge in Newport, Pagnell which is 1.5 ha of former NHS land that is now within English Partnership's hospital sites programme. It is proposed that it will have a housing mix of 21 social rented units, 21 built at a construction cost of 60,000, with the balance out of a total of 68 units being for open market sale. The preferred developer here is SIXTYK Consortium led by Crest Nicholson.
	There are three other former NHS land sites in the competition: Park Prewett in Basingstoke, Linton in Maidstone and Rowan in Merton, London. Preferred developers for these sites are yet to be selected. However, it is envisaged that a good proportion of the homes on these site will be social for rent or other forms of affordable housing or shared ownership.
	English Partnerships is also looking at including homes built through Design for Manufacture in its First Time Buyers Initiative, making some of the houses for sale available for first time buyers under which eligible people will be able to purchase an initial equity stake in the homes, with the residual equity held by English Partnerships. The number of first time buyer homes on each site has not yet been agreed.

Design for Manufacture Competition

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 807W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on Design for Manufacture Competition, what English Partnerships' (a) estimated base valuations were for each of the sites under the Design for Manufacture Competition and (b) estimate was of projected sales prices for the mix of homes on each site.

Yvette Cooper: In my answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 807W, given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), I stated that English Partnerships has carried out base valuations of the sites before the commencement of the competition, which included an estimate of projected sales prices for the mix of homes. Currently, preferred developers have only been announced for four of the 10 sites and these legal agreements are being developed. Announcements will be made about the preferred developers for the remaining six sites in the near future. Thus, at this stage of the competition with final negotiations for the sites yet to complete, the precise valuations and estimates for each site remain commercially confidential. The final sales prices of individual homes will be determined by the developers in due course according to the local market circumstances that apply to each site.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and English Partnerships are working to prepare a publication drawing out the lessons that have been learned from the Design for Manufacture Competition. This publication will include information about costs and values. We aim to publish this document in the spring of 2006.

English Partnerships

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much funding English Partnerships has allocated to local authorities in the Tees Valley for each of the next five years;
	(2)  which local authorities in Tees Valley have been in receipt of funding from English Partnerships in each of the past five years, broken down by amount.

Yvette Cooper: Distribution of English Partnerships investment nationally and including that in the Tees Valley is a matter for English Partnerships' Board, in accordance with their annual corporate plan priorities as approved by Ministers. Discussions are currently under way with English Partnerships on their future national programme and priorities for the years 200506 to 200809. Once these planning round discussions have been finalised, which is likely to be in the next two months, and Ministers have agreed English Partnerships corporate plan a summary of the plan will be published. Funding for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's programmes, including English Partnerships, for 200809 to 201011 will be dependent on the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
	The following allocations have been made to local authorities within Tees Valley Regeneration in each of the last five years (all figures rounded to nearest 000):
	
		
			  200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 (annual forecast) 
		
		
			 Middlesbrough BC 269,000 23,000 1,452,000 2,459,000 19,000 
			 Hartlepool BC 0 116,000 621,000 1,429,000 1,760,000 
			 Stockton BC 812,000 250,000 1,127,000 5,826,000 3,143,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 0 0 4,000 0 
			 Darlington BC 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	In addition, English Partnerships has made the following investments in the local authority areas withinTees Valley Regeneration (all figures rounded tonearest 000):
	
		
			  200102 200203 200304 200405 200506 (annual forecast)(104) 
		
		
			 Middlesbrough BC 5,619,000 2,356,000 923,000 324,000 (104)2,760,000 
			 Hartlepool BC 1,000 706,000 105,000 126,000 (104)453,000 
			 Stockton BC 1,207,000 2,503,000 5,190,000 2,995,000 (104)1,487,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Darlington 0 0 177,000 1,639,000 (104)217,000 
		
	
	(104)There could be adjustments in the figures in 200506 between the two tables, as it is possible some spend for the remainder of the year on projects might be taken forward through allocation to the local authority rather than invested directly by English Partnerships.

English Partnerships

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1) whether English Partnerships funding is allocated (a) on a per capita basis to individual local authorities in the Tees Valley and (b) on a competitive bid basis to individual projects;
	(2)  what guidance he has issued on the relationship between the use of English Partnerships funding and private funding for council development projects; and whether the criteria for council development allow English Partnerships wholly to fund a building project;
	(3)  what the criteria are for grant funding by English Partnerships, with particular reference to the use of private finance.

Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships' funding is not allocated on a per capita basis to individual local authorities, nor through invitations to local authorities to bid in funding competitions. English Partnerships allocates its funding in accordance with its annual corporate plan and the priorities therein, as approved by Ministers. Investment decisions on specific projects are made in relation to a number of criteria, namely: the fit with their corporate plan; their available budgets; the quality and value for money of any proposed project; and its effectiveness in meeting sustainable communities objectives and the regeneration needs of the area. When considering the value for money of any proposed scheme, whether and to what extent the scheme attracts private sector investment, is among the factors which are taken into account. Attraction of private sector investment is also one of English Partnerships' key corporate targets.
	There is no guidance specifically on the relationship between the use of English Partnerships funding and private funding for council development projects. When assessing projects, English Partnerships follows guidance by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Assessing the Impact of Spatial Interventions: Regeneration, Renewal and Regional Development which covers guidance on assessing interventions in a way that rigorously identifies value for money. It also follows HM Treasury's Green Book Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government.
	English Partnerships may exceptionally wholly fund a project if it meets English Partnerships' criteria including fulfilling value for money considerations. In general, however, English Partnerships delivers its lead role in facilitating development through partnering with a range of public, voluntary and private sector bodies. Partnering allows for more efficient use of public and private sector investment, as well as bringing in a wider skills and experience base. It assists English Partnerships in focusing its activity where it can add most value and helps it to avoid replicating activities of the private sector or other public or voluntary bodies.
	As regards the use of private finance, whenever English Partnerships supports regeneration development projects it generally aims to involve the market, and private sector investment, to the greatest extent possible. Private sector investment and involvement are often more likely to ensure that a regeneration project can be self-sustaining in the long term, allows for more efficient use of public and private investment, and ensures that risks can be borne and managed by those best placed to bear them.

English Partnerships

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultation he plans to hold with hon. Members on the future of English Partnerships.

Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships' status and functions were last reviewed in 200102 and the results announced in July 2002. The outcome confirmed English Partnerships' new role as a key delivery agency in the Government's sustainable communities agenda and the national regeneration agency for our towns and cities, an ongoing role which is still fully relevant. There are no plans for a further review of English Partnerships at this point in time, nor to consult Members or other stakeholders on its future.

Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures his Department took to celebrate and promote the events of (a) Ramadan, (b) Diwali and (c) Chinese New Year in 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister values the diversity of its staff and promotes awareness of religious festivals and events. The Equality and Diversity Unit provide information on the ODPM intranet about six major faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism. This includes information about the major festivals which is regularly reviewed and updated. The Intranet also provides information about prayer rooms in ODPM. The Equality and Diversity Unit make available to staff a number of SHAP calendars of religious festivals every year. The most recent issue of the in-house Office magazine included a 'lifestyle' article on Diwali.
	For the past two years, ODPM has organised a programme of seminars which have included seminars on faith communities. These were well attended and raised awareness of the positive contribution faith groups make to building sustainable communities. The seminars were accompanied by an exhibition which included stands and information on the major faith groups.
	Furthermore, the ODPM coordinated a fire safety campaign to raise awareness of key fire safety issues with the celebrating communities during the 2005 religious festivals of Diwali and Eid Ul Fitr. Similar activity is also planned for the forthcoming 2006 Chinese new year.

Fire Services

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the cost of maintaining existing radio systems used by the fire and rescue authorities was in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The fire and rescue services (FRS) are responsible for normal maintenance to existing radio systems carried out either by FRS staff or contractors. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not retain this cost information centrally. In addition, in England and Wales there is a programme of work to replace higher risk items of FRS existing wide area radio systems, thereby ensuring that they continue to be operationally effective until they can be replaced by the national wide area radio system, Firelink. Expenditure on operational continuity by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister amounts to 54,000 in 200203, 652,000 in 200304 and 5,220,000 in 200405.

Fire Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the recent firemen's strike in the East Midlands area.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There has been no recent strike in East Midlands. The hon. Member probably intends to refer to the current strike in West Midlands.

Fire Services

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the cost to each local authority of regional fire control rooms over the first three years of operation; and how these costs will be met.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No estimates of these costs are available at the present time. This is because some elements of overall project costs are not yet confirmedsuch as those relating to the technology/infrastructure servicesand because the way in which costs will be apportioned to Fire and Rescue Authorities has not yet been agreed. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's financial models show that when established the new system will cost substantially less than the current arrangements. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will fund any net increased costs during the transition period in line with the New Burdens principle.

Fire Services

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Government have spent in the last five years on the fire control centre for London.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Nothing. The fire control centre for London is paid for by the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

Firelink Project

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total cost to his Department of consultants used for the Firelink Project was; and how many consultants have been employed to date.

Jim Fitzpatrick: For the period August 2002 to October 2005, the total costs of consultants employed on the Firelink project is just under 11 million. As of 19 November 2005 there were 30 consultants employed on the Firelink project. The number of consultants varies dependent on which stage the project is at.

Firelink Project

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list those areas of England and Wales that will not be covered by the Firelink project.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Firelink will provide coverage where it has been agreed with the fire and rescue services as being essential for operational purposes. The Firelink contractor has a responsibility to meet these agreed coverage levels.

Greenbelt (Bournemouth)

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the future of Bournemouth's greenbelt.

Yvette Cooper: The South West regional assemblyas the regional planning bodyare working to prepare the new regional spatial strategy for the south west which will look at housing need in the period to 2026. However, no proposed planned housing figures or locations for development have been made by either the regional assembly, the strategic planning authorities or the Government.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the likely mean cost of producing a home information pack, including taxation.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimate that the average cost of producing a home information pack for a 1930s semi-detached house in average condition located in a provincial town will be just under 700 including VAT (653 excluding VAT). This amount, however, is not all an additional cost for consumers as the only new document to be required under the home information pack proposals is the home condition report. Most of the information is currently paid for by the buyer. In addition we estimate there will be considerable savings on failed transactions which currently cost consumers 1 million a day in total.

Home Information Packs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what information will be included in home information packs to protect home-buyers from purchasing property on contaminated land.

Yvette Cooper: The draft home information pack regulations provide that the pack must include a search report that records the result of an inspection of the register of contaminated land that local authorities are required to maintain under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The draft regulations also provide that the pack may include additional search reports relating to actual or potential environmental hazards, including contaminated land. The draft regulations are currently out to consultation until 30 December 2005.

Home Information Packs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister in what percentage of house transactions (a) flood reports and (b) contaminated land reports were used in the latest year for which figures are available.

Yvette Cooper: The Government do not collect these figures.

Home Information Packs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with mortgage providers on the proposed home information packs; and whether mortgage providers have indicated to him that they will be willing to lend on the basis of a home condition report.

Yvette Cooper: The Government have been working closely with the Council of Mortgage Lenders and their members in the development of the Home Condition Report and the associated certification arrangements for Home Inspectors, to ensure that lenders can have confidence in the report and that it contains the information they need to generate valuations for mortgage purposes. Lenders will have a legal right to rely on the Home Condition Report. The Council of Mortgage Lenders has indicated that lenders are likely to use the report in the majority of cases. This will reduce significantly the number of cases where lenders require a separate inspection of the property and will mean reduced costs for home buyers.

Home Information Packs

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the likely number of homebuyers who will commission more detailed surveys than the Home Condition Report after the introduction of home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: Only a very small proportion of home buyers (our research suggests less than three per cent.) obtain a detailed building survey. Indications from the industry suggest this is not likely to change significantly when home information packs are introduced from June 2007. The Home Condition report in the pack will provide for prospective buyers a mid-range survey report on the condition of the property. This will involve a level of inspection similar to that for the current Homebuyer Survey and Valuation Report provided by Chartered Surveyors. Home buyers and their lenders will have a right to rely on the Home Condition Report, which will provide substantially more information about the property than a lender's valuation inspection report upon which most home buyers currently rely.

HomeBuy Scheme

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether any of the Government's HomeBuy schemes are planned to be piloted in Tamworth.

Yvette Cooper: At the present time it is not possible to say whether any of our new HomeBuy schemes will be piloted in Tamworth. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column1697W.
	The limited number of early Social HomeBuy pilotsstarting this year, in advance of the Housing Corporation's National Affordable Housing Programme for 200608, do not include any provision in Tamworth.

Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total capital receipts generated from right-to-buy sales were in (a) Sheffield and (b) Yorkshire and Humber in each year since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: The total capital receipts from right-to-buy sales of local authority dwellings in Sheffield and Yorkshire and the Humber in the years from 199697 onwards are tabulated as follows. These figures are net of discounts and are as reported by local authorities.
	
		Capital receipts --  million
		
			   Sheffield Yorkshire and the Humber 
		
		
			 199697 7.6 59.8 
			 199798 7.3 70.9 
			 199899 7.4 75.8 
			 19992000 9.6 96.1 
			 200001 11.6 102.3 
			 200102 21.8 145.0 
			 200203 25.2 225.3 
			 200304 46.6 298.5 
			 200405 37.9 295.8 
		
	
	Source:
	Quarterly P1(A/B) return received from local authorities.
	The information for years prior to 199697 is not centrally available.

Housing

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applicants are on the Tamworth housing waiting list.

Yvette Cooper: The number of households on the Tamworth housing waiting list as at 1 April 2005 is 2,772.
	Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Local authorities sometimes maintain a common waiting list with the housing association/s in their district. However, information is not held centrally where a housing association maintains a separate waiting list to the local authority.

Housing

Adam Holloway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what additional funding he has allocated to transport infrastructure to support the proposed housing developments in (a) Kent and (b) Gravesham.

Yvette Cooper: The Thames Gateway, of which the Borough of Gravesham is part, is a particular focus for growth as part of the Sustainable Communities Plan.
	The Government believe it is important to have the right infrastructure in place to support new homes and jobs. The Department for Transport (DfT) is working closely with other Government Departments and agencies as well as local and regional partners to ensure that transport provision in Kent is properly planned alongside the other aspects of growth. Funding is being made available to enable this to happen.
	Kent's 200506 Local Transport Plan (LTP) settlement of 26.3 million represents an increase of 37 per cent. from 200102. This money is used for maintenance and smaller schemes and it is for Kent county council to decide the proportion spent in Gravesham. Kent has also received capital funding of 41.6 million for major transport schemes over the same five year period through the LTP process. In addition, the Highways Agency is investing in ongoing major schemes, including the 138 million A2/A282 Dartford improvements, 110 million Swale Crossing and 16 million A2 widening. Kent will also benefit from billions of additional investment in rail, in particular through CTRL domestic services from 2009. Also the Crossrail bill is currently going through parliament.
	Alongside mainstream DfT funding, additional money is being committed to Gravesham as part of the Thames Gateway programme. The innovative public transport scheme Fastrack has so far received 4 million from the ODPM Growth Areas Fund (from a total of 15.4 million for transport projects in Kent since 2003) and additional funding for the project is currently being considered. In addition 200 million is available through the joint DfT/ODPM Community Infrastructure Fund (GIF) for transport schemes that support housing delivery in the growth areas. Proposals for GIF are currently being assessed with a likely decision by the end of 2005.
	The Government are aware of various assessments by local delivery organisations of the cost of transport infrastructure over the longer term. However, the Government have made no such assessment by area and it will continue to determine such investment in the context of the public expenditure cycle.
	Kent will continue to have access to increased levels of transport funding. The South East Regional Transport Board will advise on the allocation of between 138 million and 150 million per year until 201011 for major South East transport schemes. This represents about 10 per cent. of the funds that will be spent on transport in the region over that period. Furthermore, the DfT committed 600 million to transport schemes across the Thames Gateway for the three years following the 2004 spending review. It will also be crucial that the private sector make a significant contribution to help ensure the appropriate transport infrastructure is put in place to serve the new and exiting developments.

Housing

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will allow councils to sell privately owned properties which fall into disrepair as a result of long-term disuse.

Yvette Cooper: Where a residential property has been left empty for longer than six months, provisions in the Housing Act 2004 will give local authorities the option to make an Empty Dwelling Management Order in order to secure the occupation of that property. However, where an Empty Dwelling Management Order has been made, ownership of that property does not transfer to the local authority, and nor therefore, the entitlement to sell. The making of an order may of course encourage an owner to sell voluntarily.
	Existing legislation does provide public bodies, including local authorities, with the power to acquire ownership of privately owned property through compulsory purchase proceedings. Any local authority, responsible for acquiring private property through these proceedings would then be entitled to sell that property.

Housing

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council properties were sold under the right-to-buy scheme by Dacorum borough council in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The numbers of council properties sold under the right-to-buy scheme by Dacorum borough council in each financial year since 199798 as reported by Dacorum are shown in the table.
	
		Dacorum: right-to-buy sales
		
			 Financial year RTB Sales 
		
		
			 199798 261 
			 199899 275 
			 19992000 405 
			 200001 262 
			 200102 104 
			 200203 214 
			 200304 144 
			 200405 64 
		
	
	Source:
	Quarterly returns (P1B) to ODPM from local authorities

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) function and (b) powers of the Audit Commission's Housing Inspectorate are; and what its budget was in the last year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The Audit Commission has powers under section 10 of the Local Government Act 1999 to inspect a best value authority's compliance with Part 1 of that Act. Part 1 includes (among other things) a general duty on these authorities to make arrangements to secure the continuous improvement in the way that their functions are exercised, having regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, the Audit Commission has powers in relation to registered social landlords under the Audit Commission Act 1998. Sections 41A and 41B of the Audit Commission Act 1998 provide the Audit Commission with powers to carry out inspections of registered social landlords in relation to the quality of the services they provide and the arrangements they have put in place to secure continuous improvement in the efficiency, effectiveness and economy of those services.
	The Housing Inspectorate is part of the Audit Commission and undertakes its inspection activities under these powers. The expenditure for the Housing Inspectorate's activities for 200506 is projected to be 7.98 million. This is part of the Commission's overall budget of 224 million.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2005, Official Report, column 839W, on housing, what definition he uses of relevant proprietor.

Yvette Cooper: Relevant proprietor is defined in section 132(4)(c) of the Housing Act 2004 as the person who holds the freehold estate in the dwelling or, in the case of a dwelling let under one or more leases with an unexpired term of seven years or more, the lessee under whichever of those leases has the shortest unexpired term.

Housing

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on large scale housing developments in Bournemouth.

Yvette Cooper: The South West regional assemblyas the regional planning bodyare working to prepare the new regional spatial strategy for the south west which will look at housing need in the period to 2026. However, no proposed planned housing figures or locations for development have been made by either the regional assembly, the strategic planning authorities or the Government.

Inspection Regimes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment the Government have made of the number of inspection regimes by which local authorities are regulated.

Phil Woolas: The following bodies carry out inspections within local authorities in England:
	Audit Commission (including the Housing Inspectorate)
	Benefit Fraud Inspectorate
	Office for Standards in Education
	Commission for Social Care Inspection
	Adult Learning Inspectorate
	HM Inspectorate of Probation (Inspection of Youth Offending Teams)
	Food Standards Agency
	Health and Safety Executive
	Office of the Surveillance Commissioner.
	Significant progress has been made to better target inspections where they will do most good and to improve the timing and co-ordination of inspections. The effectiveness of inspection can still be improved, and we are working with all those who inspect local government to deliver this. The cost of these inspections are not borne by the local authorities directly.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many of the IT projects costing over 1 million in use in his Department and introduced since 1997 have been scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee; and if he will list them;
	(2)  how many IT projects which cost over 1 million and were introduced since 1997 are in use in his Department.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was created in May 2002. There have been seven ODPM IT projects with a value in excess of 1 million which produced systems that are currently in use in ODPM, and which came into live service after that date.
	None have been scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee.

Licensing Act

Mark Hunter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implications of the Licensing Act 2003 in determining the 200607 revenue support grant for local authorities in England.

Phil Woolas: The Licensing Act 2003 devolves power to local authorities. The aim is to set the level of fees to cover local authorities' responsibilities under the Act.
	There is currently an independent review panel looking into the fees local authorities are collecting as part of the Act. We are waiting for the report from the panel which will assess if the fees set centrally to cover any additional setting up costs local authorities are facing for administration, inspection and enforcement are adequate. We will shortly be announcing the provisional local government finance settlement, which will cover 200607 and 200708.

Living Over the Shop

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on funding for the Living Over the Shop organisation.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister awarded contacts to Living Over the Shop in June 2004 and June 2005 for consultancy advice on follow-up work to the report of the Housing Above Shops Task Force. Those contracts have concluded. Further consideration is being given to ways of to maximise use of the existing stock, including potential housing units from redundant commercial space.

Local Authority Funding

Mark Hunter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implications for local services in the event of an average increase of 1.5 per cent., not including education, to the 200607 revenue support grant to local authorities in England; and whether he would expect cuts to frontline services to ensue in such an event.

Phil Woolas: The Government are committed to ensuring that local authorities can continue to deliver effective services without imposing excessive increases in council tax. We have yet to announce our proposals for the funding of revenue spending by councils in 200607. We have been working with the Local Government Association to identify the main pressures facing local authorities and how they can best be mitigated. We will shortly be announcing the provisional local government settlement for 200607 and 200708. It will then be up to individual authorities to set their budgets and council tax levels. It will not be possible for authorities to compare the increase in general grant to the increases provided in previous settlements because of the introduction of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). DSG is funded wholly through grant from Government, so council tax will fund higher proportion of other services.

Mobile Telephone Masts

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to bring mobile telephone masts of all sizes under stricter planning control; if he will apply the precautionary principle in doing so; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: All ground based masts are already subject to planning control so that if the local authority considers that the development will pose a serious threat to amenity, it is able to refuse approval. For masts over 15 metres in height a planning application is required. For masts under 15 metres in height a prior approval application is required.
	The Government have adopted the precautionary approach recommended by the Stewart Group.

National Brownfield Strategy

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the progress of the National Brownfield strategy in bringing hardcore derelict sites into use.

Yvette Cooper: English Partnerships has been asked to develop a National Brownfield strategy in its role as expert adviser on brownfield land. The strategy will provide for the first time a coherent national vision for the future development of brownfield land and will act as a toolkit for site owners and developers. Good progress is being made. English Partnerships is developing a pilot programme of feasibility studies on 14 brownfield sites to help inform development of the strategy, an initial programme of workshops with leading stakeholders has been completed and a wider public consultation is planned for early 2006.

Olympics

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely impact of public funding for the 2012 Olympic Games on the availability of English Partnerships funding for projects in the Tees Valley over the next five years.

Yvette Cooper: No such assessment has been carried out in relation to public funding for the 2012 Olympic Games and projects in the Tees Valley. English Partnerships, working with the Urban Regeneration Companies, including Tees Valley Regeneration, decide which projects to support in accordance with their Corporate Plan priorities as approved by Ministers, their available budgets, the quality and value for money of any proposed project, and its effectiveness in meeting sustainable communities objectives and the regeneration needs of the area.

Olympics

Paul Burstow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Olympic precept will be excluded from his calculations for the purposes of capping local authorities' budgets.

Phil Woolas: Capping is applied to an authority's own budget requirement, which would not include any precepts local authorities were required to raise on behalf of precepting authorities. The element that relates to the 2012 Olympic games will be precepted by the Greater London assembly (GLA). If the GLA was judged to have set an excessive budget requirement, it is the GLA which would be cappednot London boroughs.
	No decisions have been taken about capping in 200607 and beyond, but the Government will not hesitate to use their capping powers to protect council taxpayers from excessive council tax increases in future years.

Public Sector Leasehold Working Party

David Lepper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who the members are of the Public Sector Leasehold Working Party; when it last met; when it is next scheduled to meet; if he will place in the Library and on his Department's website the minutes of its meetings; and what its programme of work is.

Yvette Cooper: The Public Sector Leaseholders Working Party last met in May 2003. The party is currently being reconstituted as a smaller but sufficiently representative group, to be known as the Social Sector Leaseholders Working Party, under the Chairmanship of the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE). LEASE has recently sent invitations to a range of representative bodies seeking membership and is currently awaiting responses. The first meeting, which will be arranged as soon as possible, is expected to take place early in the new year, and the minutes of the meetings will be placed on the LEASE website.

Regeneration (Liverpool)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether a health impact assessment has been carried out into regeneration projects in Liverpool; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: This is a matter for local partners. The local Pathfinder advise that the Housing Market Renewal Programme is currently being assessed for its health impacts and the city council's housing strategy has been assessed and the results published. Further assessments will be carried out on a project-by-project basis.

Retford and Worksop Fire Station

John Mann: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) fires and (b) road traffic accidents have been attended to by (i) Retford and (ii) Worksop fire station crews in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Information on attendance for individual fire stations is not held centrally by the Office.The data tabled as follows was provided by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
	
		Fires and road traffic accidents attended by crews at Worksop and Retford fire stations, 200004
		
			  Fires Road traffic accidents 
		
		
			 Worksop   
			 2000 540 85 
			 2001 694 82 
			 2002 791 108 
			 2003 944 89 
			 2004 633 76 
			 Total 3,602 440 
			 Retford   
			 2000 320 86 
			 2001 324 81 
			 2002 387 104 
			 2003 511 105 
			 2004 300 122 
			 Total 1,842 498 
		
	
	Source:
	Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service

Right-to-buy

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will bring the maximum discount available under right-to-buy in areas of high demand for public sector rented accommodation into line with the 9,000 discount available to housing association tenants under their right to acquire.
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) (Amendment) Order 2005 in helping areas facing housing pressure.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) (Amendment) Order 2003 came into force on 27 March 2003. It reduced to 16,000 the maximum right-to-buy discount available to tenants in 41 areas in London and South of England that appeared to be under the greatest housing market pressure in terms of high levels of homelessness and high property prices. The Government are keeping the position on maximum right to buy discounts generally under review.

Shared Ownership

Andrew Selous: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many shared ownership dwellings there are in the South West Bedfordshire constituency.

Yvette Cooper: Figures are not available for the number of shared ownership dwellings for the South West Bedfordshire constituency. On 31 March 2005 there were 172 dwellings with ownership shared between the tenant and the registered social landlords in the South Bedfordshire district council area as reported in the Regulatory Statistical Return of the Housing Corporation.

Sir Christopher Meyer

Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his recent letter to Sir Christopher Meyer was sent in his official capacity; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Jim Fitzpatrick: My right hon. Friend's letter expressed his personal view as Deputy Prime Minister. The Government's view was set out in the Cabinet Secretary's letter of 4 November which is in the Library of the House. My right hon. Friend has not placed his letter in the Library.

Staff Discipline

David Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many employees have been dismissed by his Office in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established following the Machinery of Government changes in May 2002. The data are, therefore, only available from this date.
	The Department's staff handbook includes procedures for dealing with cases of misconduct, unsatisfactory performance and attendance. Dismissal is considered where after thorough investigation it is decided that the misdemeanour is of such a serious nature the member of staff can no longer work for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	The number of staff who were dismissed as a result of the implementation of these procedures were as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002 1 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 4 
			 2005(105) 1 
		
	
	(105)To date

Telephone Masts

Anne Milton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many planning applications for mobile telephone masts in the Guildford constituency have been (a) granted, (b) granted on appeal and (c) refused in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend, the Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham) on 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1066W.

Temporary Accommodation (Families)

Tim Farron: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate his Department has made of the change in the number of families in temporary accommodation in the South Lakeland district council area since 2001; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation.

Yvette Cooper: Information provided quarterly by South Lakeland district council about its activities under homelessness legislation includes the number of households in temporary accommodation on the last day of the quarter, as arranged by the local authority. The number of these households which include dependent children or a pregnant woman has been collected since March 2002, and a summary of reported information is presented in the following table.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made major progress in tackling the worst forms of homelessnessreducing rough sleeping by 75 per cent. since 1998, with reduction sustained at lowest recorded levels (2005 estimate-459), and ending the long-term use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families with children.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's strategy 'Sustainable communities: settled homes; changing lives' published in March 2005 sets out our aims to reduce homelessness further and halve the number of households in temporary accommodation by 2010.
	The full version of the strategy is available in the Library of the House or on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: www.homelessness.odpm.gov.uk
	
		Households in accommodations(106) arranged by South Lakeland district council under the provisions of homelessness legislation
		
			   All households Of which: containing dependent children 
		
		
			 31 March 2001 31  
			 30 June 2001 44  
			 30 September 2001 45  
			 31 December 2001 43  
			 31 March 2002 38 n/a 
			 30 June 2002 38 22 
			 30 September 2002 38 30 
			 31 December 2002 45 36 
			 31 March 2003 35 27 
			 30 June 2003 32 19 
			 30 September 2003 58 36 
			 31 December 2003 62 42 
			 31 March 2004 60 n/a 
			 30 June 2004 60 n/a 
			 30 September 2004 58 n/a 
			 31 December 2004 62 37 
			 31 March 2005 61 39 
			 30 June 2005 67 46 
		
	
	n/a=Denotes information not reported.
	(106)Households in temporary accommodation arranged by the local authority pending inquiries or after being accepted as homeless under the 1996 Housing Act.
	(107)Includes households where an expectant mother is present.
	Note:
	Data on households containing dependent children has been collected from March 2002.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly)

Trees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the results of the survey on trees in towns and cities in England.

Yvette Cooper: Work is drawing to a close on the preparation of the final report on the project Trees in Towns II. The report, which assesses local authority resources and practices in tree planting and management as well as the quality and quantity of trees in towns and cities in England, will be published in due course.

Tyne and Wear Development Programme

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the Tyne and Wear City Region Development Programme under the Northern Way; what the implementation and management arrangements are for the programme; and how hon. Members from the Tyne and Wear City Region and their constituents will be consulted on the programme.

Yvette Cooper: A copy of the Tyne and Wear City Region Development Programme (CROP) and its annexes can be found on the Northern Way website at http://www.thenorthernway.co.uk/cityregions.html
	The Tyne and Wear CROP has been prepared by the Tyne and Wear City Region Working Group at the request of the Northern Way. The implementation and management of the CROP are a matter for the working group in discussion with the Northern Way. It is also a matter for the working group to make any decisions on how they further consult with their stakeholders on the programme.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance the Valuation Office Agency has issued to its staff and contractors on the personal safety of inspectors conducting a valuation of a property.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency provides full information and training relating to the personal safety of staff who may need to carry out property inspections. No contractors are engaged on property inspection work.

NORTHERN IRELAND

11/1 Forms

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a sponsored walk in aid of charity in a public place requires the submission, acceptance and consideration of an 11/1 form; whether in the absence of such a form the event would be deemed unlawful and liable to prosecution; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: There is no legal or singular definition of a 'sponsored walk'. Sponsored walks may assume many different forms, some of which will take on elements which give rise to the appearance of a public procession. If this is the case then organisers of such walks should submit an 11/1 giving notice of their intention to hold an event which has all the critical elements of a public procession.
	It is important to remember that organisers are not seeking permission to parade but are rather simply giving notification so that both police and public are made aware and may consider the implications of such a public event.
	In the absence of a notification of a sponsored walk as a public procession, the police would evaluate each case in the round before considering whether or not it appeared to be a public procession and whether or not it was necessary to take a view from the Public Prosecution Service as to further action.

Adoption

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what average time adults have waited from application to completion of adoption proceedings of a child in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The average time adults have waited from application to completion of adoption proceedings of a child in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years is not available centrally.

Alcohol-related Deaths/Illness

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland under the age of 30 were treated for alcohol-related illnesses in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: Information is not available on the number of people treated for alcohol-related illnesses. However, the number of admissions to hospital for alcohol-related illnesses is available. The table provides figures on the number of admissions to acute hospitals in Northern Ireland for people aged under 30 years with a primary or secondary diagnosis of an alcohol-related illness for each of the last five years for which data are available.
	
		
			  Number of admissions(108) with an alcohol-related diagnosis 
		
		
			 200405 842 
			 200304 799 
			 200203 805 
			 200102 946 
			 200001 959 
		
	
	(108)Discharges and deaths are used as an approximation for admissions. It is possible that any individual could be admitted to hospital more than once in any year and will thus be counted more than once as an admission.
	Source:
	Hospital Inpatients System

Binge Drinking

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what statistical evidence he has collated on whether binge drinking is affecting the number of mouth cancer cases in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Department has not collated any statistical evidence connecting the number of mouth cancer cases to levels of binge drinking. Incidences of lip, oral cavity and pharynx cancers in Northern Ireland has fallen steadily from 162 cases in 1993 to 127 cases in 2003.

Bus Passenger Numbers

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change in bus passenger numbers on the Belfast to Londonderry route has been between 2000 and 2005.

Shaun Woodward: Translink has advised that the bus passenger numbers on the Belfast to Londonderry route are as follows:
	
		
			  Passenger numbers 
		
		
			 200304 514,171 
			 200405 516,137 
		
	
	Complete figures for the present financial year are not available. However Translink has reported a 3 per cent. rise in passenger numbers on the corresponding period last year.
	Translink has also advised me that bus passenger numbers for the period prior to 200304 are not immediately available. I shall write to the hon. Gentleman with the information as soon as possible.

Cancelled Operations

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cancelled operations there have been for each hospital with a theatre in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not available.

Car Parks

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much in (a) euros and (b) sterling was taken at pay and display car parks under the control of the Department for Regional Development in Northern Ireland where euros are accepted as valid payment during the first six months of (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Executive of Roads Services (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated 28 November 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding, how much in (a) euros and (b) sterling was taken at pay and display car parks under the control of the Department for Regional Development in Northern Ireland where euros are accepted as valid payment during the first six months of (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005. I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	In the first six months of (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005, car park ticket machines under the control of the Department for Regional Development, which accept both sterling and euro, have taken income as detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Period Sterling Euro 
		
		
			 January to June 2004 1,122,425.51 28,646.10 
			 January to June 2005 1,293,917.85 44,691.63 
		
	
	I hope this information is helpful.

Car Parks

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total (a) income taken as payment of car parking charges and (b) outgoings paid as salaries and other charges at Department for Regional Development car parks in Northern Ireland were in 2004.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated 28 November 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what the total (a) income taken as payment of car parking charges and (b) outgoings paid as salaries and other charges at Department for Regional Development car parks in Northern Ireland were in 2004. I have been asked to reply as these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	I should explain that Roads Service does not retain this information on a calendar year basis. However, the total income taken as payment for car parking charges in the financial year ending 31 March 2005 was 9,088,000. The total expenditure relating to car park activities for the same period was 8,782,000.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Cardiac-related Emergencies

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cardiac-related emergency cases have been treated in hospitals in Northern Ireland in each year since 1995.

Shaun Woodward: The number of emergency admissions 1 to the cardiac surgery and cardiology specialties in hospitals in Northern Ireland in each year since 1995 is detailed in the following table.
	1 Discharges and deaths are used as an approximation for admissions. It should be noted that any patient could have been admitted more than once in any particular year and in more than one year.
	
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 199596 10,532 
			 199697 10,865 
			 199798 12,170 
			 199899 13,246 
			 19992000 14,388 
			 200001 14,608 
			 200102 14,120 
			 200203 12,969 
			 200304 13,708 
			 200405 13,701 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital Inpatients System

Care Homes

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many beds were available in the Province in care homes on the last date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: At 31 March 2004 (the latest date for which information is available), there were 15,330 beds available in care homes in Northern Ireland. This information includes beds in residential and nursing homes, and beds in children's homes as well as those for adults.
	Some people will always need more support than can be safely provided in their own home. For this reason residential care homes and nursing homes continue to play an important part in meeting people's care needs.

Civil Servants

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Protestants and (b) Roman Catholics were employed in the Northern Ireland Office in each of the past five years.

Shaun Woodward: All NIO staff working in Northern Ireland, both Home civil servants and Northern Ireland civil servants, are monitored for community background in compliance with the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998 monitoring regulations. The Department also has a small number of staff working in London whose community background is not monitored. The following figures relate to staff in Northern Ireland only.
	
		
			  Protestant Roman Catholic Non-determined  
			  Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Total 
		
		
			 2001 957 (70.1) 353 (25.9) 55 (4.0) (109)1,365 
			 2002 1,038 (68.8) 380 (25.1) 95 (6.3) 1,513 
			 2003 1,082 (67.9) 428 (26.8) 84 (5.3) 1,594 
			 2004 1,154 (68.4) 450 (26.7) 82 (4.9) 1,686 
			 2005 1,205 (66.6) 528 (29.2) 77 (4.2) 1,810 
		
	
	(109)This relates to NICS staff only as figures for HCS staff in NI not available for 2001.

Cookstown

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for what reasons an area designated for education and recreation usage has now been turned over to the provision of a new police station for Cookstown.

Shaun Woodward: I am sorry for the delay in replying. This was caused by an administrative error.
	The location of the proposed new police station at Cookstown is adjacent to the current station and is deemed to be in the most operationally effective location for the delivery of community policing within the Cookstown area.
	The site does not encroach into any area designated for education or recreation purposes in the Cookstown Area Plan. However abutting the site along its south-western boundary are school grounds, which are designated as existing recreation/open space.

Delayed Discharges

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many delayed discharges for elderly patients due to non-availability of community-care packages there were in each health board area in 200405; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The number of elderly (people aged 65 and over) who were regarded as delayed discharges during 200405 and whose reason for delay was No place or care package available is given in the following table for each Health Board area in Northern Ireland.
	Delayed discharge is bad for patients and is an unnecessary drain on acute hospital resources. A key component of health and personal social services reform and modernisation plans is the development of a range of integrated primary and community care services, specifically designed to prevent inappropriate admission to hospital and to reduce unwarranted lengths of stay.
	
		
			 Health Board Number of delayed discharges 
		
		
			 EHSSB 155 
			 NHSSB 140 
			 SHSSB 47 
			 NHSSB 47 
			 NI total 389 
		
	
	Source:
	Departmental Monthly Return DD1

District Policing Partnership

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of each district policing partnership in Northern Ireland was in each of the last three years.

Shaun Woodward: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Belfast, East (Mr.Robinson) on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1632W.

District Policing Partnership

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what expenses have been claimedby elected representatives on each of the local district policing partnerships in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what expenses have been claimed by independent members of each of the local district policing partnerships in each of the last three years.

Shaun Woodward: The Policing Board has advised me that the following figures show the total expenditure on elected and independent members allowances and travel and subsistence expenses for each DPP in the last three years. The Board does not hold a breakdown of figures between elected and independent members and to gather this information would be at disproportionate cost.
	
		
		
			  200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Antrim 7,215 49,984 52,153 
			 Ards 8,678 55,229 54,960 
			 Armagh 7,457 56,543 53,783 
			 Ballymena 8,121 56,320 51,476 
			 Ballymoney 7,987 51,132 50,958 
			 Banbridge 7,011 49,571 48,978 
			 Belfast 16,406 100,017 92,128 
			 Carrickfergus 6,770 38,301 42,335 
			 Castlereagh 8,144 46,497 44,189 
			 Coleraine 10,299 51,476 52,068 
			 Cookstown 5,644 40,610 41,267 
			 Craigavon 9,151 51,099 51,384 
			 Derry 6,115 51,451 50,679 
			 Down 8,064 49,860 50,421 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone(110) 4,176 0 10,324 
			 Fermanagh 9,555 54,509 53,724 
			 Larne 7,207 45,690 42,310 
			 Limavady 5,655 43,102 42,643 
			 Lisburn 10,498 47,302 50,326 
			 Magherafelt 4,114 51,464 48,113 
			 Moyle 6,319 45,546 44,071 
			 Newry and Mourne 10,577 55,286 54,083 
			 Newtownabbey 4,166 50,806 52,714 
			 North Down 3,879 50,540 52,170 
			 Omagh 6,270 42,020 42,336 
			 Strabane 6,921 41,260 40,264 
			 Total 196,399 1,275,615 1,269,857 
		
	
	(110)Dungannon and South Tyrone DPP was established December 2004. Initial training took place in 200203.

District Policing Partnership

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been paid to consultants and agencies organising conferences for district policing partnerships in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

Shaun Woodward: The Policing Board has advised me that any conferences arranged for DPPs by the Northern Ireland Policing Board have been organised in-house and no money has been paid to consultants or agencies in relation to organising this work.

Doctors and Nurses

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were per head of population in Northern Ireland, broken down by health board, in each year since 1998.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is provided in the following tables.
	
		Doctors employed within the NI HPSS per 1,000 head of population by health board area by year as at 30 September
		
			  Northern board Eastern board Southern board Western board 
		
		
			 1998 1.00 2.36 1.26 1.33 
			 1999 0.88 2.25 1.13 1.24 
			 2000 0.89 2.35 1.21 1.28 
			 2001 0.89 2.46 1.17 1.29 
			 2002 0.91 2.63 1.20 1.35 
			 2003 0.98 2.78 1.24 1.46 
			 2004 1.01 2.90 1.31 1.52 
			 2005 1.13 3.00 1.33 1.57 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The Mid-year HSSB Civilian Population Estimate for 2005 was not available, therefore the Mid-year HSSB Civilian Population Estimate for 2004 was used for 2005.
	2.Doctors include all Medical Staff employed within the NI HPSS at the following grades: Consultants, Associate Specialists, Staff Grade, Specialist Registrars, PRHOs, SHOs, Hospital Practitioners, General Medical Practitioners and Medical Officers.
	3.These figures exclude Primary Care General Practitioners.
	Sources:
	Doctor headcount figures: Human Resource Management System.
	Civilian population figures: Northern Ireland Statistics Research Agency.
	
		Qualified nurses employed within the NI HPSS per 1,000 head of population by health board area by year as at 30 September
		
			  Northern board Eastern board Southern board Western board 
		
		
			 1998 5.63 9.96 6.77 7.14 
			 1999 5.59 10.04 6.78 7.29 
			 2000 5.77 10.26 6.81 7.31 
			 2001 5.84 10.28 6.77 7.20 
			 2002 5.91 11.01 6.80 7.70 
			 2003 6.18 11.60 7.17 8.10 
			 2004 6.38 11.87 7.35 8.50 
			 2005 6.45 12.10 7.52 8.75 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The Mid-year HSSB Civilian Population Estimate for 2005 was not available, therefore the Mid-year HSSB Civilian Population Estimate for 2004 was used for 2005.
	2.Qualified Nurses include Midwives and Health Visiting Staff.
	3.These figures exclude Bank Staff who fill staffing shortfalls to maintain service delivery.
	4.Nursing figures are not available for staff working in General Practice Surgeries and are therefore not included.
	Sources:
	Nursing headcount figures: Human Resource Management System.
	Civilian population figures: Northern Ireland Statistics Research Agency.

Domestic Violence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been made available to support victims of domestic violence and their children in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Upper Bann in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not available either by constituency or for Northern Ireland as a whole. Victims of domestic violence are supported by a range of agencies depending on their needs but individual cases of domestic violence are not tracked at present by the agencies involved, for example, within the criminal justice system and the health and social services. A new strategy for addressing tackling domestic violence in Northern Ireland, Tackling Violence at Home, was launched in October 2005. As the strategy is implemented, it should be possible in the future to track cases and associated costs across a range of public services.
	It is estimated, however, that the direct cost of services provided to victims (through the police, criminal justice system, health and social services care, housing support and civil legal cases) could amount to about 90 million each year in Northern Ireland. It is estimated that the loss of economic output in Northern Ireland due to the suffering of domestic violence victims could amount to a further 90 million each year. These estimates are based on an extrapolation of 2004 research figures for England and Wales on a pro-rata population basis.

Drugs Rehabilitation

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been made available for drugs rehabilitation in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Upper Bann in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested on funding for drug rehabilitation is not available centrally.
	Rehabilitation is an integral part of all drug and alcohol treatment whether community or inpatient based. The cost of this generic rehabilitation cannot be disaggregated from the total costs of such programmes. The majority of drug rehabilitation can and does take place in the community as part of an overall community care and rehabilitation programme. Within each health and social services board area provision exists to refer individuals to residential rehabilitation centres outside Northern Ireland if deemed to be clinically appropriate.

Early Release

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners released early under the provisions of the Belfast Agreement have subsequently been convicted of serious offences in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Of the 447 persons released 'early' on their sentences under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998, available information indicates that 28 have been subsequently convicted of further offences in Northern Ireland.

Electoral Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact of the arrangements in Northern Ireland which allow electoral registration officers to consult Department for Work and Pensions databases as part of measures to tackle electoral fraud.

David Hanson: The Chief Electoral Officer has written to the hon. Member. The text of the letter is as follows:
	The process is one in which an extract of the registration information held in respect of every elector in Northern Ireland is compared against the DWP National Insurance Number (NINO) database using the NINO, date of birth and name provided on each individual registration form. There has been a full match in 94.6 per cent. of cases and the Electoral office is currently pursuing the reason for mismatches with the remaining 5.4 per cent. In many instances the mismatches have turned out to be simple transpositions on the part of electors, for example AB123465D being recorded at AB123456D.
	The Electoral office is of the view that the use of the NINO and subsequent checking against the DWP database has led to an extremely accurate Register in Northern Ireland with few if any illegal duplications or phantom entries

Failure to Stop after Accidents

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were proceeded against for the offence of failing to stop after an accident in each Police Service of Northern Ireland district in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The statistics provided in Table 1 include the offences of 'failing to stopdamage only' and 'failing to stopinjury', and are based on the PSNI District Command Unit in which an offender's address falls. Due to the lack of comparability of 1999 data, (based on crimes reported to 12 police divisions) figures for that year have not been included.
	Data relating to 2004 will be available in early 2006.
	
		Table 1: Persons prosecuted for failing to stop after an accident, by PSNI District Command Unit 200003(111)
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Antrim 5 0 4 5 
			 Ards 7 3 4 6 
			 Armagh 5 5 4 5 
			 Banbridge 3 6 3 1 
			 Belfast East 7 4 4 7 
			 Belfast North 11 8 9 3 
			 Belfast South 3 5 5 3 
			 Belfast West 9 3 3 4 
			 Ballymena 5 4 5 3 
			 Ballymoney 0 2 1 0 
			 Carrickfergus 2 3 1 2 
			 Coleraine 1 3 2 3 
			 Cookstown 3 4 5 9 
			 Craigavon 4 1 4 9 
			 Castlereagh 4 3 6 3 
			 Dungannon 7 5 6 4 
			 Down 4 5 2 2 
			 Fermanagh 2 6 7 3 
			 Foyle 9 3 7 9 
			 Larne 2 1 4 0 
			 Limavady 4 2 1 0 
			 Lisburn 10 9 3 11 
			 Magherafelt 1 1 2 0 
			 Moyle 2 0 2 0 
			 Newtownabbey 5 6 5 9 
			 North Down 3 3 4 4 
			 Newry and Mourne 4 10 6 14 
			 Omagh 3 5 7 9 
			 Strabane 3 3 3 1 
			 Missing(112) 6 6 5 3 
			 Total 134 119 124 132 
		
	
	(111)Data are based on the police District Command Unit in which an offender's address falls. The District Command Unit structure became operational in April 2001. However, for the purposes of comparability with later years, figures for 2000 and the first quarter of 2001 are also based on the 2001 DCU structure.
	(112)Missing data relate to those offenders for which DCU information is not available.

Fireworks and Bonfires

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many injuries associated with fireworks and bonfires there were over the recent Halloween period; and what the figures were in each year since 2001 broken down by health board area.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the number of people who sustained injuries associated with bonfires is not available. Information on the number of people injured as a result of fireworks over the most recent Halloween period are not yet available. However, figures for the years 2001 to 2004 are available and are detailed in the following table for each Health Board area in Northern Ireland.
	
		Number of patients reporting with firework injuries
		
			  EHSSB NHSSB SHSSB WHSSB Total 
		
		
			 2004 19 11 18 7 55 
			 2003 13 7 14 11 45 
			 2002 22 3 8 5 38 
			 2001 50 26 38 22 136 
		
	
	Source:
	Annual Departmental Return, FWK1.

GP Appointments

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many general practitioner appointments in Northern Ireland were not attended by members of the public in each of the last five years; and how many general practitioners in Northern Ireland are over 65 years of age.

Shaun Woodward: The information is as follows.
	(a) The Department does not centrally hold information on missed appointments at GP surgeries. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	(b) As at 22 November 2005, there are 25 general practitioners over the age of 65 who are working in primary care. Some of these are partners in a general practice while others are sessional (locum) practitioners.

Health Professionals

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dental (a) nurses, (b) hygienists and (c) therapists there were in Northern Ireland on the last date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The vast majority of dental nurses, dental hygienists and dental therapists are employed by independent dental contractors, and statistical information on such staff is not held centrally.

Hospital-acquired Infections

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths have been associated with hospital-acquired infections in Northern Ireland in the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not available.

Housing

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of South Antrim housing stock has been sold under the right-to-buy scheme since 1990.

David Hanson: Approximately 47 per cent. (2,527) of the Housing Executive stock in the South Antrim area (5,370 in 1990) has been sold under its House Sales Scheme.

Housing

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has allocated for social housing in each constituency of Northern Ireland in each of the past 10 years.

David Hanson: The information is not available in the form requested. The following table shows the Department for Social Development's allocation to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and registered housing associations for social housing in each of the past 10 years:
	
		
			  Allocation ( million) 
		
		
			 199596 203.213 
			 199697 218.290 
			 199798 234.436 
			 199899 263.073 
			 19992000 256.458 
			 200001 252.914 
			 200102 264.678 
			 200203 294.128 
			 200304 306.887 
			 200405 320.679

Housing

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many houses in the public sector in Northern Ireland are deemed inadequate by district housing offices due to poor heating and insulation.

David Hanson: While 97 per cent. of public sector housing has some form of central heating and insulation, not all meet the decent homes thermal comfort criterion, because of its high specification compared to the former fitness standard. It is therefore estimated that some 33,680 houses in the public sector are deemed inadequate due to the standard of heating and insulation. However, the Department's objective is to ensure that the decent homes standard will be met by all public sector housing by 31 December 2010.

Housing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change in the total value of (a) current and (b) past tenant arrears of the Northern Ireland Housing Executive has been since 1995.

David Hanson: The following table details Northern Ireland Housing Executive's past and current tenant arrears between 1995 and 2005:
	
		 million
		
			 As at 31 March each year: Current tenants debt Past tenants debt Total debt 
		
		
			 1995 11.888 1.827 13.715 
			 1996 11.270 1.715 12.985 
			 1997 11.155 1.638 12.793 
			 1998 10.833 1.658 12.491 
			 1999 11.474 1.890 13.364 
			 2000 12.327 2.269 14.596 
			 2001 14.690 2.668 17.358 
			 2002 15.310 3.717 19.027 
			 2003 14.934 3.954 18.888 
			 2004 14.639 4.442 19.081 
			 2005 13.729 4.022 17.751

Motoring Offences

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many drivers were prosecuted for driving (a) without insurance and (b) while banned in each Westminster constituency in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: Prosecution data cannot be readily broken down by Northern Ireland constituency. The statistics included in the table are based on the PSNI District Command Unit in which an offender's address falls.
	Data relating to 2004 will be available in early 2006.
	
		Table 1: Persons prosecuted for driving without insurance by PSNI District Command Unit 20012003(113)
		
			  2001(114) 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Antrim 78 98 96 
			 Ards 121 139 119 
			 Armagh 109 132 152 
			 Banbridge 53 66 70 
			 Belfast East 118 189 154 
			 Belfast North 292 314 301 
			 Belfast South 124 121 105 
			 Belfast West 168 297 187 
			 Ballymena 92 149 88 
			 Ballymoney 49 56 58 
			 Carrickfergus 70 77 79 
			 Coleraine 88 129 93 
			 Cookstown 76 87 63 
			 Craigavon 145 235 271 
			 Castlereagh 68 97 73 
			 Dungannon 161 138 114 
			 Down 132 146 124 
			 Fermanagh 148 221 165 
			 Foyle 361 316 353 
			 Larne 64 91 59 
			 Limavady 61 79 90 
			 Lisburn 163 212 241 
			 Magherafelt 66 88 L55 
			 Moyle 26 52 41 
			 Newtownabbey 113 135 131 
			 North Down 102 182 120 
			 Newry and Mourne 207 194 235 
			 Omagh 180 181 147 
			 Strabane 121 161 108 
			 Missing(115) 82 126 97 
			 Total 3,638 4,508 3,989 
		
	
	(113)Data are based on the police District Command Unit in which an offender's address falls.
	(114)The District Command Unit structure became operational in April 2001. However, for the purposes of comparability with later years, figures for 2001 also include the period January to March.
	(115)Missing data relate to those offenders for which DCU information is not available.
	
		Table 2: Persons prosecuted for driving while disqualified by PSNI District Command Unit 200103(116)
		
			  2001(117) 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Antrim 20 17 17 
			 Ards 28 31 41 
			 Armagh 29 31 34 
			 Banbridge 12 18 11 
			 Belfast East 58 63 55 
			 Belfast North 56 53 78 
			 Belfast South 48 42 40 
			 Belfast West 48 68 77 
			 Ballymena 23 21 31 
			 Ballymoney 7 14 22 
			 Carrickfergus 21 9 16 
			 Coleraine 20 22 22 
			 Cookstown 7 13 12 
			 Craigavon 37 51 64 
			 Castlereagh 14 16 24 
			 Dungannon 17 27 33 
			 Down 25 20 38 
			 Fermanagh 32 38 45 
			 Foyle 79 75 69 
			 Larne 16 13 15 
			 Limavady 11 15 11 
			 Lisburn 34 44 75 
			 Magherafelt 5 17 13 
			 Moyle 3 7 8 
			 Newtownabbey 27 22 19 
			 North Down 19 32 45 
			 Newry and Mourne 35 39 25 
			 Omagh 51 46 45 
			 Strabane 21 32 16 
			 Missing(118) 19 23 24 
			 Total 822 919 1,025 
		
	
	(116)Data are based on the police District Command Unit in which an offender's address falls.
	(117)The District Command Unit structure became operational in April 2001. However, for the purposes of comparability with later years, figures for 2001 also include the period January to March.
	(118)Missing data relate to those offenders for which DCU information is not available.

Motoring Offences

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many speeding fines in South Antrim remain unpaid.

Shaun Woodward: The Police Service of Northern Ireland do not record statistics by parliamentary constituency, but by District Command Unit. The available figures for Antrim DCU show that during the period 1 January 2005 to 30 September 2005, 821 endorsable fixed penalty notices were issued for excess speed and 110 of these remain unpaid.

Murders

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons convicted of murder in the Province during the current troubles in cases where all proceedings are complete (a) have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment of (i) less than five years, (ii) five to 10 years, (iii) 10 to 20 years and (iv)more than 20 years, (b) have been released otherwise than under the Belfast agreement having served terms of imprisonment of (A) less than five years, (B) five to 10 years, (C) 10 to 20 years and (D) more than 20 years and (c) have been released under the Belfast agreement having served terms of imprisonment of (1) less than five years, (2) five to 10 years, (3) 10 to 20 years and (4) more than 20 years.

David Hanson: In relation to part (a) (i-iv) for persons sentenced to life imprisonment, further details regarding actual sentence length are not held within the NIO court datasets. Therefore, as a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment applies in the case of murder. Table 1 provides only the number of persons sentenced in each of the years for which data is currently available.
	
		Table 1: Number of persons sentenced for murder: 1993 to 2003
		
			  Number sentenced 
		
		
			 1993 18 
			 1994 17 
			 1995 19 
			 1996 13 
			 1997 3 
			 1998 17 
			 1999 13 
			 2000 13 
			 2001 6 
			 2002 14 
			 2003 18 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures exclude attempts, aiding and abetting and conspiracy to murder.
	2.1993 is the earliest year for which data are available. Figures for 2004 will be available in early 2006.
	3.The figures refer to all murders including non-paramilitary murders.
	Source:
	Northern Ireland Office
	In relation to part (b) (A-D) for persons convicted of murder and released otherwise than under the Belfast agreement, available information indicates that 395 people have been released since 1975. Table 2 shows the time served by these prisoners. These figures include persons sentenced to be detained at the pleasure of the Secretary of State who were under 18 years of age at the time of their offence. It is possible that not all of those recorded in the figures were convicted in Northern Ireland.
	
		Table 2: Numbers of persons convicted of murder and released otherwise than under the Belfast agreement; 1975 to 2005 (November)
		
			 Time served Number of persons 
		
		
			 Less than 5 years 1 
			 5 years to less than 10 years 21 
			 10 years to less than 20 years 372 
			 20 years or more 1 
			 Total 395 
		
	
	Source:
	Northern Ireland Prison Service
	In relation to part (c) (14) for persons released under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998, introduced following the Belfast agreement, available information indicates that a total of 146 persons convicted of murder have been released. Table 3 shows the time served by these prisoners. The figures include persons sentenced to be detained at the pleasure of the Secretary of State who were under 18 years of age at the time of their offence. It is possible that not all of those recorded in the figures were convicted in Northern Ireland. Persons released under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 from imprisonment following breach of licence for an earlier sentence for murder have not been included. Only time in custody served in Northern Ireland is included.
	
		Table 3: Numbers of persons convicted of murder and released under the Belfast agreement; 1998 to 2005 (November)
		
			 Time served Number of persons 
		
		
			 Less than 5 years 13 
			 5 years to less than 10 years 62 
			 10 years to less than 20 years 70 
			 20 years or more 1 
			 Total 146 
		
	
	Source:
	Northern Ireland Office

National Lottery

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the value of sales of (a) national lottery tickets and (b) scratch cards has been in Northern Ireland; and how much has been awarded to good causes in Northern Ireland by national lottery distributors.

Richard Caborn: I have been asked to reply.
	As of 19 November 2005 total national lottery sales in Northern Ireland (including scratch cards) since the national lottery began in 1994 are 1,324,847,489, of which 377,267,075 represent scratch card sales. For every 1 of national lottery sales, an average of 28p goes to good causes. According to data derived from the lottery awards database (which uses information supplied by lottery distributors), 8,789 awards totalling over 591 million in value have been made to projects in Northern Ireland since the national lottery began until 28 October 2005.

Necrotising Fasciitis

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have (a) contracted and (b) died of necrotising fasciitis in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Information on the number of people who have contracted necrotising fasciitis in each of the last five years is not available.
	(b) The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in each year between 2000 and 2004 where necrotising fasciitis 1 was recorded on the death certificate.
	
		Number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland with necrotising fasciitis(119) mentioned on the death certificate, 2000 to 2004
		
			  Necrotising fasciitis(119) 
		
		
			 2000 4 
			 2001 2 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 3 
			 2004(120) 1 
		
	
	(119)International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code M.72.5 for years 200104 and Ninth Revision code 729.4 for year 2000.
	(120)Data for 2004 is provisional.

NICE Drug Assessments

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Government will issue interim guidance to primary care trusts in Northern Ireland concerning Velcade pending assessment by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Shaun Woodward: Velcade was licensed for use in all areas in the UK in 2004. It is thought that the NICE evaluation of Velcade will be completed during 2006.
	Clinicians in NI can prescribe Velcade within the term of the license where the relevant trust and HPSS board have approved the relevant costs. There are no plans at present to issue specific guidance on this matter.

Nurses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses in Northern Ireland have reported sick with a stress related illness in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200001 716 
			 200102 832 
			 200203 874 
			 200304 864 
			 200405 985 
		
	
	Note:
	Newry and Mourne HSS Trust was unable to supply information in the timescale available.

Nursing Homes

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Northern Ireland what the change in numbers was of (a) registered nursing homes and (b) nursing home places in Northern Ireland between 1994 and 2004.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the numbers of registered nursing homes and nursing home places for the years 1995 (the earliest year for which information is available) and 2004, and the changes between these dates, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Nursing homes Nursing home places 
		
		
			 1995 256 9,339 
			 2004 254 9,312 
			 Change 19952004 -2 -27 
		
	
	Notes:
	Information is in respect of the position at 31 March each year. Figures are not available for the position in 1994, therefore figures for 1995 have been provided. The number of nursing homes in 2004 includes 88 dual registered homes (registered for provision of both residential and nursing care). The 2004 figure for nursing home places includes nursing places, but excludes residential places, in dual registered homes.

Office of the Police Ombudsman

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions officers from the Office of the Police Ombudsman used powers of arrest in each year since 2000.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested was provided by the Police Ombudsman and is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000  
			 2001 6 
			 2002 6 
			 2003 6 
			 2004 2 
			 2005  
			 Total 20

Paramilitary Attacks

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many paramilitary-style attacks there were in each of the last 10 years; and in how many cases people were (a) apprehended and (b) convicted.

Shaun Woodward: The Police Service of Northern Ireland have advised that the only statistics held in relation to this matter can be found at the PSNI website: www.psni.police.uk and are set out as follows covering the years 1973 to 2005. All statistics are provisional at this stage and may be subject to minor amendment.
	The police have been unsuccessful at holding anyone to account for such crimesusually victims and witnesses are unwilling or unable to co-operate with police and therefore there is little the police can do.
	
		Casualties as a result of paramilitary-style attacks, 1973 to 2005(121)
		
			  Shootings Assaults(122) 
			  Total By loyalist groups(123) By republican groups(123) Total By loyalist groups(123) By republican groups(123) Total casualties (shootings and assaults) 
		
		
			 1973 74 21 53 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1974 127 43 84 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1975 189 50 139 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1976 98 36 62 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1977 126 28 98 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1978 67 17 50 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1979 76 25 51 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1980 77 26 51 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1981 80 14 66 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1982 81 22 59 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1983 31 9 22 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1984 26 6 20 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1985 32 11 21 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1986 41 24 17 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1987 124 67 57 n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 1988 66 34 32 56 21 35 122 
			 1989 161 65 96 51 23 28 212 
			 1990 106 60 46 68 21 47 174 
			 1991 76 40 36 62 22 40 138 
			 1992 133 72 61 74 36 38 207 
			 1993 85 60 25 41 35 6 126 
			 1994 122 68 54 70 38 32 192 
			 1995 3 3 0 217 76 141 220 
			 1996 24 21 3 302 130 172 326 
			 1997 72 46 26 156 78 78 228 
			 1998 72 34 38 144 89 55 216 
			 1999 73 47 26 134 90 44 207 
			 2000 136 86 50 132 78 54 268 
			 2001 186 121 65 146 93 53 332 
			 2002 173 117 56 139 89 50 312 
			 2003 156 101 55 149 103 46 305 
			 2004 112 89 23 115 74 41 227 
			 2004(124) 94 72 22 89 62 27 183 
			 2005(125) 65 56 9 77 51 26 142 
		
	
	n/a=Not available.
	(121)Updated on 14 October 2005.
	(122)Beatings.
	(123)Attribution is as perceived by PSNI based on the information available and does not necessarily indicate the involvement of a paramilitary organisation.
	(124)To 30 September 2004.
	(125)To 30 September 2005.

Parking Tickets

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parking tickets were issued in Lurgan in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		Fixed penalty notices issued for parking in Lurgan
		
			  FPNs issued 
		
		
			 2001 292 
			 2002 289 
			 2003 396 
			 2004 252 
			 2005 (to 31 October 2005) 675

Pathologists

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pathologists were employed in Northern Ireland (a) in 2000 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: Information is only available on pathologists employed within the NI HPSS. This information is provided in the following table.
	
		Number of pathologists by speciality employed within in the NI HPSS in September 2000 and September 2005 -- Headcount
		
			  September 2000 September 2005 
			  Consultant Specialist registrars (consultant trainees) Consultant Specialist registrars (consultant trainees) 
		
		
			 Histopathology/ neuropathology/ cytopathology 33 9 34 13 
			 Haematology 16 7 17 13 
			 Medical microbiology 13 5 13 7 
			 Chemical pathology 7 3 8 5 
			 Immunopathology 1 1 1 0 
			 Total 70 25 73 38 
		
	
	Source:
	DHSSPS

Pensions

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people (a) are of pensionable age and (b) receive a state pension in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: There are 275,247 people of pensionable age in Northern Ireland, 263,770 people are receiving retirement pension.

Polling Stations (Disabled Access)

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government are taking to improve conditions for disabled voters at polling stations in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: This issue is an operational matter and is the responsibility of the Chief Electoral Officer who has written to the hon. Gentleman. The text of the letter is as follows.
	The Electoral Office keeps all polling places under constant review to ensure that disabled voters have where possible the same facilities and ease of access as able bodied voters. Where facilities are less than satisfactory, the Electoral Office has been working with the owners of such properties and with the Equality Commission to help the owners address their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act. Unfortunately, some alterations do take time and often there are no ready alternative venues in the locality.
	All polling stations in Northern Ireland are equipped with the new style of polling booth which incorporates a compartment with a lowered writing shelf suitable for wheelchair users. Large print versions of the ballot paper are displayed in all polling stations and each is equipped with a selector device so that visually impaired electors can vote without assistance if they so choose.

Poverty Statistics

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) children and (b) pensioners were living in poverty in each constituency in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: This information is not available in the form requested. It is estimated that the total numbers of children and pensioners in Northern Ireland living in households with income after housing costs below 60 per cent. of the UK median were as follows:
	
		Number living in households with income below 60 per cent. of UK median income after housing costs
		
			  200203 200304 
		
		
			 Children 112,800 108,100 
			 Pensioners 42,400 47,100 
		
	
	Note:
	Incomes are adjusted to take account of household structure.
	Source:
	NI Family Resources Survey 200203, 200304

Prisoner Assaults

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) prisoners and (b) prison officers in Northern Ireland were the victims of an assault by a prisoner in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year Assaults on prison officers by prisoners Assaults on prisoners by prisoners 
		
		
			 200001 46 63 
			 200102 43 102 
			 200203 28 48 
			 200304 36 50 
			 200405 8 11 
			 April 2005 to date 3 2 
			
			 Total 164 276 
		
	
	Over the years the number of assaults has shown a downward trend.

Prisons

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average daily cost of keeping a person in prison in Northern Ireland was during the latest period for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: In 200405, the average daily cost per prisoner place was 235. The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not collate figures for the average cost per prisoner.

Prostate Cancer

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in Northern Ireland, broken down by Health Board area in each year since 2001.

Shaun Woodward: The following table details the number of incidences of prostate cancer (ICD-10 C61) in Northern Ireland by Health Board since 2001.
	
		
			  Year of diagnosis 
			  2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 EHSSB 206 249 259 
			 NHSSB 132 149 172 
			 SHSSB 89 121 145 
			 WHSSB 104 111 124 
			 Unable to assign to Health Board 12 18 15 
			 Total 543 648 715 
		
	
	This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.

Prostate Cancer

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland what funding has been provided for information leaflets advising men to seek medical help should they experience symptoms of prostate cancer in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: No specific funding has been earmarked by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the provision of information leaflets on prostate cancer. However, the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) report of 2003 included a short article on prostate cancer. This Report was issued with every copy of the three main Northern Ireland newspapers sold on a particular day. In the article, inter alia, doctors were advised to ensure that men who asked for a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test were properly informed about it, including the benefits and downside of the test. In November 2003, in a CMO update, which is sent to all doctors in Northern Ireland, they were told about an information pack, Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme, available from the Department of Health (L). Included in this pack are a supply of information leaflets for men considering a PSA test. The CMO's report of 2004 reiterated this information.

Prostate Cancer

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the survival rates have been of men diagnosed with prostate cancer since 2001 in each Health Board area of Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) do not routinely produce relative survival rates for any cancer, by Health Board of Northern Ireland. The most recent relative survival rates (1-year and 5-year) for prostate cancer for the whole of Northern Ireland are outlined in the table. These figures are based on patients diagnosed in the period 199699 and followed up to the end of 2002.
	
		1 and 5-year relative survival rates (percentage) (95 per cent. Confidence Intervals in brackets) for cancer of the prostate(15 to 99 years)
		
			 Diagnostic period 199699 
		
		
			 1-year (95 per cent. CI) 84.9 (82.7, 86.8) 
			 5-year (95 per cent. CI) 62.9 (59.4, 66.3) 
		
	
	This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.

Rail Services

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average daily travel time by train was between Belfast and (a) Coleraine and (b) Londonderry in each month between January and October.

Shaun Woodward: The average daily travel time between Belfast and (a) Coleraine and (b) Londonderry in each month between January and October is outlined in the following table:
	
		Hours/minutes
		
			  Belfast Central to Londonderry Londonderry to Belfast Central Belfast Central to Coleraine Coleraine to Belfast Central 
		
		
			 January 02.17 02.13 01.28 01.28 
			 February 02.19 02.15 01.30 01.30 
			 March 02.17 02.13 01.28 01.28 
			 April 02.16 02.12 01.27 01.27 
			 May 02.15 02.11 01.26 01.26 
			 June 02.12 02.08 01.23 01.23 
			 July 02.17 02.13 01.28 01.28 
			 August 02.17 02.13 01.28 01.28 
			 September 02.17 02.13 01.28 01.28 
			 October 02.17 02.13 01.28 01.28

Railways

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the cost of providing a passing loop in the Ballykelly area for trains between Coleraine and Londonderry.

Shaun Woodward: No estimate has been made of the cost of providing a passing loop in the Ballykelly area on the Coleraine to Londonderry line.

Railways

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints from rail passengers there have been about (a) timings and (b) refreshments on the service between Coleraine and Londonderry in 2005.

Shaun Woodward: Translink has advised that, in 2005, it has received 29 complaints relating to timings on the rail service between Coleraine and Londonderry and eight complaints relating to refreshment services on the Londonderry line.

Railways

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost has been of vandalism to the new trains acquired by Northern Ireland Railways since their introduction.

Shaun Woodward: To date the total cost of vandalism on the new Class 3000 fleet is 123,826.

Release under Licence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people released under licence as part of the Belfast Agreement have (a) subsequently been re-arrested under the terms of their licence and (b) been re-released early.

Shaun Woodward: 15 persons who were released 'early' on their sentences under the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 have subsequently had their licences suspended under the terms of the Act. One of these has since been released 'early' again on a Sentences Act licence.

Reoffending

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of young offenders re-offended in Northern Ireland in each year since 2001.

David Hanson: Information is not available in the form requested. The most recent information available on reconviction rates for both juveniles and adults in Northern Ireland has been published by the Northern Ireland Office in two statistical bulletins in March 2005 (Adult Reconviction in Northern Ireland 2001 and Juvenile Reconviction in Northern Ireland 2001). Copies of these bulletins are available in the Library.

Seconded Police Officers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland are on secondment to other police services.

Shaun Woodward: There are currently 17 members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on secondment to other police services.

Sexual Health

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of sexually transmitted infections were diagnosed in each year since 1998, broken down by health board.

Shaun Woodward: The total number of recorded instances of sexually transmitted infections in each Health Board is not available. However, the total number recorded in Northern Ireland is available and is shown in the following table for the years 1998 to 2004.
	
		
			  Number of sexually transmitted infections 
		
		
			 1998 8,986 
			 1999 10,169 
			 2000 11,172 
			 2001 11,300 
			 2002 11,868 
			 2003 11,547 
			 2004 11,481 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The number of instances of sexually transmitted diseases is measured according to the number of attendances at Genito-Urinary Medicine clinics.
	2.These totals contain conditions whose mode of transmission is not solely sexual.
	Source:
	Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland (CDSC(NI)).

Sex Offenders

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many sex offenders are imprisoned in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: As of 24 November 2005 there were a total of 164 prisoners being held by the Northern Ireland Prison Service for offences under Schedule 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, of whom 135 have been sentenced and 29 are on remand.

Specialist Nurses

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding has been provided for additional specialist nurses to sufferers of (a) ulcerative colitis and (b) Crohn's disease in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: No recurrent funding has been specifically provided for additional specialist nurses to sufferers of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's Disease. However, funding of 30,000 has been provided for a Community Nursing Redesign Pilot Project, which is looking at a community nurse-led service to develop chronic disease management for patients with colorectal illnesses including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In addition, there are a number of trusts who employ gastroenterology related specialist nurses, part of whose remit is caring for patients with these conditions.

Terrorist-related Murders

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many terrorist related murders remain unsolved in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: There are almost 2,000 unsolved terrorist related murders in Northern Ireland.

Tonsil and Adenoid Removals

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children aged under 16 years in each health board area in Northern Ireland were discharged from hospital after removal of tonsils or adenoids in each of the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: The number of children aged under 16 years, in each health board area in Northern Ireland, discharged from hospital following a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy, in each month during 200405 (the latest year for which information is available), is shown in the following table:
	
		Discharges following a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy performed on children aged under 16 -- Number
		
			 Month of Discharge EHSSB NHSSB SHSSB WHSSB Unassigned 
		
		
			 2004  
			 April 67 54 54 24 3 
			 May 82 38 51 34 4 
			 June 72 52 48 26 3 
			 July 70 32 38 47 1 
			 August 66 43 44 30 4 
			 September 70 48 62 29 2 
			 October 88 35 56 33 1 
			 November 103 41 47 38 8 
			 December 73 27 43 25 4 
			   
			 2005  
			 January 80 25 50 33 10 
			 February 58 40 52 32 6 
			 March 81 40 48 76 4

Under-age Drinking

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prosecutions were brought against (a) public houses and (b) nightclubs in Northern Ireland for supplying alcohol to under-age purchasers in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: It is not possible to identify separately prosecutions brought against public houses and those against nightclubs. The prosecutions included in the table are for the offences of selling intoxicating liquor to a minor and licensee selling intoxicating liquor to minor also meaning that the prosecutions could be against any licensed premises and not just public houses or nightclubs.
	It should be noted that the court data is recorded on a principal offence rule, so that where proceedings involve more than one offence dealt with at the same time, only the principal offence is recorded (i.e. that attracting the most severe penalty).
	The figures cover the period 2001 to 2003 (2003 being the most up-to-date available). Data relating to 2004 will be available in early 2006.
	
		Prosecutions for supplying alcohol to under-age purchasers 2001 to 2003
		
			  Number of prosecutions 
		
		
			 2001 1 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 5 
		
	
	Source:
	Northern Ireland Office

Water Supplies

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average levels of reservoir water supplies in Northern Ireland during October were in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated 28 November 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about the average levels of reservoir water supplies in Northern Ireland during October in each of the last five years (32219). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.
	Water Service has 21 impounding reservoirs which provide a maximum usable storage capacity of around 63,700 megalitres. The average water levels during October, as a percentage of the total maximum reservoir useable storage, for each of the last five years, are as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 2001 59.7 
			 2002 83.6 
			 2003 57.5 
			 2004 79.9 
			 2005 70.8 
		
	
	Impounding reservoirs provide just under 50% of total water supplies. The remaining supplies come from Loughs (mainly Lough Neagh), rivers and borewells. Current water supply levels in the reservoirs are considered satisfactory.

Travellers

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on unauthorised Traveller encampments in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: I am aware of the impact of unauthorised encampments on settled communities, and I appreciate the desire for measures to deal with the affects of such unauthorised encampments. It was for this reason the Unauthorised Encampments (Northern Ireland) Order 2005, was introduced and it includes provisions aimed at combating unauthorised encampments. However, the operation of the order cannot be fully effective if sufficient sites for Travellers are not available. Accordingly, I have decided to defer bringing the substantive provisions of the order into effect until I am satisfied that an adequate number of transit sites is operational in Northern Ireland.
	I am pressing the Housing Executive to ensure the necessary sites are available as soon as possible. Ianticipate that five sites will be operational by next summer by which time I will review the situation with a view to enabling the necessary provisions. I believe this represents a fair and balanced approach.

HEALTH

0870 Numbers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the occasions in the last five years on which 0870 telephone numbers have been used by her Department as contact numbers for members of the public; and how much revenue was received from the use of 0870 contact numbers in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Jane Kennedy: The Department is aware that a publications order line intended for national health service and social care professionals is sometimes used by members of the public.
	Otherwise, the Department has not used any 0870 telephone numbers as contact numbers for members of the public during this period.

999 Calls (Response)

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthhow many 999 calls were first responded to by (a) St. John's ambulances and (b) other non-NHS organisation ambulances in (i) England and (ii) each ambulance trust in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Information on St. John's ambulances and other non-national health service ambulance organisations is not collected centrally.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the submissions to the Lane Committee on Abortion are in the public domain; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The report of the committee on the working of the Abortion Act, chaired by the hon. Mrs.Justice Lane DBE, was published in 1974. A list of those who submitted evidence was published at the time but the report states that
	All written and oral evidence and answers to questionnaires were invited on the basis that they would be treated as confidential to the Committee.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the files held by her Department relating to the (a) Abortion (Amendment) Bill of the 197475 Session and (b) Abortion (Amendment) Bill of the 197677 Session are in the public domain; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The files relating to these Bills are not in the public domain.

Adolescent Mental Health

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adolescent mental health beds there are in (a) Kent and (b) each county in England; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Information is not available in the form requested.
	The 2004 child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) mapping exercise collected information on the number of beds commissioned for tier 4 in-patient care. It found that 665 beds had been commissioned in England and of these seven had been commissioned by the CAMHS partnerships in the Kent and Medway strategic health authority area. Further details of the mapping data can be found at www.camhsmapping.org.uk/.
	Because the data were collated with reference to the commissioning body, the beds will not necessarily be in the same area.

Alzheimer's Disease

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
	(1)  if she will take steps to ensure that people with Alzheimer's disease have access to (a) clinically effective and (b) cost effective drug treatment on the NHS;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with professional bodies about the impact of withdrawing drug treatments for people with Alzheimer's disease from NHS prescription.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 8 November 2005
	This is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	NICE has not issued final revised guidance on drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Until it does so, the guidance it issued in 2001 remains in force and those benefiting from the drugs in question will continue to do so. NICE is currently reviewing its guidance.

Avian Influenza

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of potential fatalities from avian influenza before the population has been fully vaccinated.

Rosie Winterton: Avian influenza is a disease which mainly affects birds, with infrequent cases in those people who are closely exposed to infected poultry. As of 9 November 2005 only 125 people have been infected by avian flu, all of them in Asia where people live very closely with poultry. Of those, 64 have died. There have been no confirmed cases of human to human transmission.
	Our present strategy is risk based and there is no evidence that there is at present an elevation of risk to United Kingdom (UK) poultry workers. Because there is a very low risk to humans in the UK. We are not planning to vaccinate the population against the current circulating strain of avian influenza.

Avian Influenza

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research the Department is funding to assess the pathogenicity of the H5NI virus; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
	Defra currently fund a wide ranging programme of research that is aimed toward improving our understanding of Avian influenza (AI) and effective methods of its prevention and control.
	An important aspect of this is to understand the pathogenesis of the disease.
	Within the research programme, projects are currently underway to examine the pathogenesis and transmission characteristics of the virus within poultry. Other projects are addressing the issue at a more fundamental level, to examine the genetic characteristics of the virus that associate with pathogenicity and cross species transmission.
	The Department currently spend 463,000 per annum on Avian influenza research.

Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat the costs of running Bournemouth and Christchurch NHS Trust have been in each of the last five financial years.

Caroline Flint: Information showing data for 200001 to 200405, which is the latest year for which information is available, is shown in the table.
	Running costs are not identified within the accounts of national health service trusts. Figures shown are the total operating expenses of the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust, which is closest to the information requested.
	
		Total operating expenses of the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust
		
			  000 
		
		
			 200001 96,993 
			 200102 106,117 
			 200203 118,520 
			 200304 129,097 
			 200405 148,152 
		
	
	Note:
	This trust moved to Foundation status as of 1 April 2005 and so comparable figures will not be available from the Department for 200506.
	Source:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust

Breast Cancer

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many women in England aged 40 to 49 years with a family history of breast cancer received a mammogram in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many women there are in England aged 40 to 49 years with a family history of breast cancer.

Rosie Winterton: Data on the number of women aged 40 to 49 in England and Wales who have a family history of breast cancer and the number of these women who received a mammogram in the last year are not collected centrally. However, we do know that the proportion of cases of breast cancer that have an inherited component is small, at less than 10 per cent. of total cases.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on familial breast cancer in May 2004. They recommended that women at moderate risk or greater should receive annual mammography. NICE estimated that an annual surveillance service for women aged 40 to 49 years at a moderate or greater risk of familial breast cancer would require an additional 21,000 mammograms a year.
	NICE clinical guidelines are covered by the Department's developmental standards, standards which the national health service is expected to achieve over time. The Healthcare Commission has responsibility for assessing progress towards achieving these standards.

Cancelled Operations/Appointments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on progress towards reducing cancelled operations and appointments at NHS units in the Hemel Hempstead constituency in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: Information relating to the number of cancelled appointments in national health service units within the Hemel Hempstead constituency is not held centrally.
	The following table shows the number of cancelled operations at West Hertfordshire hospitals NHS trust, of which Hemel Hempstead constituency is a part, over the last 12 months.
	
		Number of cancelled operations at West Hertfordshire hospitals NHS trust.
		
			West Hertfordshire hospitals NHS trust  Number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons in the quarter Number of patients not admitted within 28 days of cancellation on the day of surgery 
		
		
			 200506   
			 Quarter l 99 22 
			
			 200405   
			 Quarter 4 160 38 
			 Quarter 3 189 30 
			 Quarter 2 153 27 
			 Quarter l 164 29 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.A last minute cancellation is one that occurs on the day the patient was due to arrive, after they have arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation. For example, you are to be admitted to hospital on a Monday for an operation scheduled for the following day (Tuesday). If the hospital cancels your operation for non-clinical reasons on the Monday then this would count as a last minute cancellation. This includes patients who have not actually arrived in hospital and have been telephoned at home prior to their arrival.
	2.Some common non-clinical reasons for cancellations by the hospital include: ward beds unavailable; surgeon unavailable; emergency case needing theatre; theatre list over-ran; equipment failure; admin error; anaesthetist unavailable; theatre staff unavailable; and critical care bed unavailable. These examples are based on information from the Modernisation Agency's Theatres Project and do not necessarily cover all non-clinical reasons.
	Source:
	QMCO

Cancer Screening

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which institutions in the NHS are responsible for surveillance of the accuracy and integrity of (a) breast and (b) cervical cancer screening arrangements.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 November 2005
	Quality assurance in the national health service breast screening programme and the NHS cervical screening programme aims to maintain standards and continue improvement in the performance of all aspects of the programmes in order to ensure that women have access to a high quality service wherever they live. Quality assurance has always been a fundamental part of the programmes.
	Responsibility and resources for screening quality assurance rest with the Regional Directors of Public Health, who have all the necessary authority to secure quality assurance. Where necessary they are able to close screening units down which fail to meet national standards.
	The Government spends 8 million per year on quality assurance for the breast and cervical screening programmes. Eight regional quality assurance reference centres provide the service, overseen nationally by the NHS cancer screening programme.

Care Homes

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthhow many care homes (a) exceeded, (b) met, (c) almost met and (d) failed to meet (i) the national minimum standard for complaints procedures and (ii)Regulation (A) 5 and (B) 6 of the Care Home Regulations 2001 in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, that data is collected on how care homes are meeting the national minimum standards. How care homes have met these standards is shown in the tables. Regulations 5, 5A and 6 set out requirements on information to be provided to the service users. Regulation 22 sets out requirements for the complaints procedure. Compliance with these regulations is a legal condition that must be met in order for a home to be registered.

Care Homes

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds in care homes there were in (a) Hertfordshire and (b) Dacorum in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The number of beds in Hertfordshire in each year since 1997 is shown in tables one and two. Data for Dacorum are not collected separately but are included in the Hertfordshire figures.
	Table one shows the number of care home places open in Hertfordshire for adults aged 18 and over, at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001. Table two shows the number of care home places registered for adults aged 18 and over, at 31 March for the years 2003 to 2005.
	Data for 2001 and 2002 are not available. The data from before 2002 are not comparable to the data after 2002. This is because the Department's data up to 31 March 2001 are based on the number of care homes open as at 31 March, whereas the Commission for Social Care Inspection data from 1 April 2002 are based on the number of care homes registered as at 31 March.
	
		Table 1: Number of care home places open for adults aged 18 and over in Hertfordshire 19972001(126) -- Rounded numbers
		
			 At 31 March Number of places 
		
		
			 1997 7,000 
			 1998 8,100 
			 1999 8,600 
			 2000 8,800 
			 2001 (127) 
		
	
	(126)Includes residential homes, nursing homes and mental nursing homes.
	(127)Not available.
	Note:
	Residential care home places relates to Hertfordshire council with Social Services responsibilities; nursing home places relate to East and North Hertfordshire and West Hertfordshire Health Authorities.
	Source:
	RA and RH(N)
	
		Table 2: Number of care home places registered for adults aged 18 and over in Hertfordshire -- Rounded numbers
		
			 At 31 March Number of places 
		
		
			 2003(128) 7252 
			 2004 7342 
			 2005 7419 
		
	
	Note:
	Excludes some local authority homes which were open but not registered.
	Source:
	CSCI

Carers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  who the lead official is in respect of matters relating to carers within the Department;
	(2)  to whom representations and submissions on good practice in relation to carers should be addressed within her Department;
	(3)  what steps she is taking to (a) co-ordinate and (b) monitor the implementation of the national carers strategy; and who within her Department is responsible in each case.

Liam Byrne: The Department is tackling the issue of carers support identified in the national carers strategy across a broad front. We are investing a substantial sum to help councils support carers with short breaks and other services. The carers grant is worth 185 million in 200506 and will continue at this rate until at least 200708. We also continue to fund and work closely with carers organisations.
	The Department has also supported legislation which gives carers more rights including, for the first time, the right to an assessment of their own needs independent of the service user.
	In addition, we recognised the need to strengthen and update the carers performance indicator in order to collect better data on support for carers.
	Within the Department, responsibility for carers policy falls to the Policy Management Unit in the Care Services Directorate.

Carers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely impact on carers of the work of the Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Liam Byrne: The Social Care Institute for Excellence have recently designed and published an on line guide primarily for the social care managers and practitioners responsible for the implementation of the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004. The essential steps and many of the practice points throughout the guide will be usefulto those responsible for strategic planning and commissioning. Practitioners will need the support of senior and line managers and an appropriate framework to enable them to help carers. The guide will also be useful for carers, people who use social services and professionals from other organisations that support carers.
	This work is in addition to SCIE's Practice guide on assessing the mental health needs of older people, which was published in January 2003. This guide gives an overview of information and current practice to all those involved in assessing the social care needs of older people with mental health needs. It supports the fundamentals of good assessment practice, giving access to the information and skills that inform sound judgments in the support of service users and carers. It shows users and carers where they can find out more and what they are entitled to expect from their contact with assessors.

Carers

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Health what plans she has to monitor the (a) implementation and (b) impact of the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 November 2005 to the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr. Sanders), Official Report, column 2103W.

Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget deficit is for each hospital in the Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority.

Liam Byrne: The latest financial year for which the audited financial information of all national health service organisations, strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts, is available is 200405. The final position for NHS trusts for 200405 in the Cheshire and Merseyside SHA is shown in the following table.
	
		000
		
			 NHS trust name Retained surplus/(deficit) 
		
		
			 Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust (1,189) 
			 The Cardiothoracic CentreLiverpool NHS Trust 0 
			 Royal Liverpool Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust 0 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust 7 
			 Liverpool Women's Hospital NHS Trust 7 
			 St. Helens And Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 9 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust 9 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust 10 
			 Walton Neurology Centre NHS Trust 10 
			 Cheshire And Wirral Partnership NHS Trust 13 
			 Mersey Regional Ambulance Service NHS Trust 15 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 24 
			 Wirral Hospital NHS Trust 25 
			 The Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 31 
			 Clatterbridge Centre For Oncology NHS Trust 32 
			 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust 38 
			 North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust 84 
		
	
	Note:
	A copy of this information is available in the Library. It is alsoavailable on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/FreedomOflnformation/ClassesOflnformation/fs/en
	Source:
	Audited NHS Trust Summarisation Schedules 200405.

Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat plans are being considered by Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority for the reconfiguration of acute trusts; who has been consulted on such plans; when it is intended to discuss such plans with hon. Members; and what public consultation will be undertaken before decisions are taken.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 22 November 2005
	The Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that it has commissioned independent consultants to work with national health service trusts to develop a coherent strategy that would enable all organisations in its area to achieve foundation trust status. At this time, the SHA does not have any plans to re-configure the acute trusts in its area.

Child Epilepsy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the incidence of child epilepsy; and what courses of treatment have been made available in the last three years.

Liam Byrne: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has estimated that there are between 4,000 and 14,000 new consultations per year in the United Kingdom for epilepsy in children.
	The NICE guidance, The diagnosis and care of children and adults with epilepsy published in October 2004, and Newer drugs for epilepsy in children, published in April 2004 contain information on the latest treatments. Copies are available at NICE'S website at www.nice.org.uk.

Child Protection

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to link designated professional staff for the protection of children from abuse and neglect to Local Safeguarding Children Board areas.

Liam Byrne: Consultation on revising the Government guidance on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, Working Together to Safeguard Children finished on 28 October. The Government plan to publish a revised version. The guidance is expected to make it clear that designated health professionals are a key part of local safeguarding arrangements and are a vital source of professional advice on child protection matters to other professionals, the primary care trust (PCT) and to the local authority children's services departments. Chapter three of that guidance is about the role of local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs), which will be set up under sections 1316 of the Children Act. Each strategic health authority, PCT, NHS trust or NHS foundation trust will be required to link up with the local authority and other key stakeholders, as set out in the Children Act 2004, who cover the same areas in order to establish a LSCB by April 2006.

Community Health Council Buildings

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list former Community Health Council buildings still used by health authorities; and what their current use is in each case.

Jane Kennedy: No former community health council buildings are used by strategic health authorities.

Consultant Referrals

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the operation of the Department's 17 weeks maximum waiting time for consultant to consultant referrals.

Liam Byrne: The current waiting time target of 17 weeks does not include consultant to consultant referrals, but relates to the maximum waiting time from general practitioner referral to a first outpatient appointment with a consultant. However, by December 2008 no patient will have to wait more than 18 weeks from general practitioner referral to start of hospital treatment.
	The Department recently launched a listening exercise on the principles and definitions underpinning the 18 week commitment which will run until 8 December 2005. This includes proposals on the management of consultant to consultant referrals. Copies of this document are available in the Library.
	The Department will publish the final principles and definitions in early 2006.

Continuing Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned on the trends in the (a) duration of a continuing care episode and (b) the cost of providing continuing care since NHS continuing care was introduced; and what research she has evaluated in this area.

Liam Byrne: Research has not been commissioned on these particular areas because their unpredictable nature makes it extremely difficult to establish any useful trends.
	There is no way to estimate with any precision the average duration of an episode of this type. Durations are likely to vary considerably, ranging from individuals with a life expectancy of just a few days, to those who remain in continuing care for extended periods. Costs associated with providing continuing care will also vary greatly between individuals, their care packages and location.

Continuing Care

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Hampshire county council pays to fund each continuing care patient.

Caroline Flint: Nothing. Continuing care is paid for by the relevant primary care trust.

Dentistry

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 260W, on dentistry, for what reasons the figures for NHS dentists in each primary care trust were not provided; and when she will provide the figures.

Rosie Winterton: The figures for national health service dentists in each primary care trust were not provided because this is not information that is collected by the Department.

Dentistry

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have left the NHS (a) in each year since 1995 and (b) in 2005 to date; what research her Department has undertaken into the main reasons for leaving; and what action her Department is taking to reduce these numbers.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Number of dentists who have left the general dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS) in England as at 30 September each year
		
			  Leavers 
		
		
			 1995 910 
			 1996 821 
			 1997 947 
			 1998 972 
			 1999 1,037 
			 2000 1,206 
			 2001 1,207 
			 2002 1,352 
			 2003 1,236 
			 2004 1,224 
			 2005 1,097 
		
	
	A dentist is assumed to have left the national health service if they had an open GDS or PDS contract in September of the previous year but no GDS or PDS contract in September of the specified year.
	The Department is introducing a major package of reforms from April 2006 that will allow primary care trusts to commission local dental services and more fully reflect local oral health needs. The reforms are also designed to make NHS dentistry more attractive to dentists by reducing their work load, providing the stability of a guaranteed annual NHS income, and offering more opportunities for preventative work.

Dentistry

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of five-year-olds in West Lancashire have no decayed, filled or missing teeth.

Liam Byrne: From the last NHS survey in 200304, 52 per cent. of five-year-old children in West Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT) were found to have no decayed, missing or filled teeth. This compares with 58 per cent. in 200102. In Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority area the figure was 49.2 per cent. in 200304 and in England as a whole 61.3 per cent. None of the PCTs water supply is fluoridated.

Dentistry

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to (a) recruit and (b) retain dentists who register new NHS patients with particular reference to Braintree constituency.

Rosie Winterton: The Department, as part of its recruitment of dentists from Poland, placed a dentist in a practice in Witham this summer.
	Witham, Braintree and Halstead primary care trust (PCT) has received significant financial growth to expand local dental services under personal dental services (PDS) agreements, which now cover 16 per cent. of practices. The PCT has received 1.142 million growth funding for PDS in 200506. Not all these PDS agreements have yet started to accept patients.

Dentistry

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 September, Official Report, column 267071W, to the hon. Member for Northavon (Steve Webb), on NHS dentistry, whether her Department plans to collect this information centrally from primary care trusts from next April.

Rosie Winterton: From next April, the responsibility for commissioning dental services will pass to local primary care trusts (PCTs). PCTs will set contracts with dentists for national health service services and at the same time agree the number of units of dental activity (UDAs) which the dentist should perform over the course of a year as part of that contract. This will provide PCTs with a measure of the overall commitment of their local dentists to NHS dental services, which could be used in the future to measure the overall commitment to the NHS. The Department has no current plans to monitor centrally the amount of time dentists in a PCT spend treating NHS patients.

Departmental Directors

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the Director of Human Resources is in her Department; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date.

Jane Kennedy: Dr. Anne Rainsberry is the Head of Corporate Human Resources in the Department. Dr.Rainsberry joined the civil service in 2001 after 15 years in the national health service. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD) and has worked in human resource for 19 years.
	Andrew Foster CBE is the Director of Workforce in the Department's health and social care directorate. Mr.Foster spent 10 years in the NHS before joining the Department in 2001. He is a Fellow of the CIPD.

Departmental Vehicles

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vehicles for which the Department is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres.

Jane Kennedy: For information on the use of retread tyres in vehicles provided to the Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 11 October 2005 which he received from the Chief Executive of the GCDA, reference UIN15087 and UIN15088. Copies of this letter are available in the Library.
	In addition to vehicles provided by the GCDA, the Department currently leases six vehicles. The policy of the schemes through which these cars are leased is that retread tyres are not used.

Direct Mail Contracts

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts for direct mail were signed by her Department in (a) 200506 to date and (b) 200405; and what the value was in each case.

Jane Kennedy: The Department does not currently hold this type of information. It could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Erythropoietin

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1) when the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence expects to publish the new appraisal consultation document for the use of erythropoietin in the treatment of cancer treatment-induced anaemia;
	(2)  why the National Institute for Health and ClinicalExcellence has decided to review its appraisal consultation document for the use of erythropoietin in the treatment of cancer treatment-induced anaemia.

Jane Kennedy: I understand that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) decided to review its appraisal consultation document on the use of erythropoietin at the second meeting of the independent advisory committee on technology appraisals. At the meeting, it was decided that some reanalysis of the evidence may be required. The project specification for this work is currently being finalised and will be published on NICE's website at www.nice.org.uk shortly.
	NICE expects to publish the new appraisal consultation document for erythropoietin in May 2006.

Funding (Milton Keynes)

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated by her Department to Milton Keynes for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Capital and revenue allocations are made to national health service organisations, strategic health authorities (SHAs) primary care trusts (PCTs) and NHS trusts and are not allocated on a constituency basis. The tables show the NHS bodies within the Milton Keynes area that have received capital and revenue funding.
	Operational capital is allocated to all NHS trusts and PCTs. The funding is provided to maintain and enhance their existing capital stock. The allocations for the organisations in the Milton Keynes PCT area are shown in table 1.
	
		Table 1. Allocations for Milton Keynes PCT -- 000
		
			 Organisation 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Milton Keynes PCT 407 456 516 
			 Milton Keynes General Hospitals NHS Trust 2,195 2,505 2,835 
			 South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust 2,398 2,586 2,767 
			 Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust 2,194 2,347 2,512 
			 Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Trust 936 1,069 1,209 
			 Two Shires Ambulance NHS Trust 1,009 1,080 1,155 
		
	
	Strategic capital is allocated to strategic health authorities to support larger scale investments. The allocations for the Thames Valley SHA is shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2: Allocations for Thames Valley SHA
		
			  000 
		
		
			 200304 20,612 
			 200405 26,211 
			 200506 28,172 
		
	
	Note:
	Comparisons between allocations rounds cannot be made, for the following reasons:
	Revenue allocations were made to health authorities for the period 200001 to 200203;
	Changes are made to the weighted capitation formula for each allocations round, therefore, comparisons would not be on a like with like basis;
	200306 revenue allocations were made direct to PCTs, for the first time, and were on a three yearly basis; and
	200608 is the first year that Primary Medical Services (PMedS) were incorporated onto revenue allocations.
	Prior to 200304, the Department allocated all NHS capital to the eight regional offices who had responsibility for distributing this funding to their health authorities.
	NHS capital allocations have not been made for 200607 onwards.
	The most recent round of revenue allocations, covering 200607 and 200708 was announced in February 2005. Revenue allocations made to Milton Keynes PCT for this period is shown in table 3.
	
		Table 3: Revenue allocations to Milton Keynes PCT for 200607 and 200708
		
			  000 
		
		
			 200607 allocation 247,043 
			 200708 allocation 277,919 
			 2 year increase 55,573 
			 Increase over 2 years (percentage) 25.0 
		
	
	The 200304 to 200506 revenue allocations to PCTs were announced in December 2002. Revenue allocations made to Milton Keynes PCT for this period is shown in table 4.
	
		Table 4. Revenue allocations to Milton Keynes PCT for 200304 to 200506
		
			  000 
		
		
			 200304 allocation 167,638 
			 200405 allocation 183,498 
			 200506 allocation 200,679 
			 3 year increase 47,844 
			 Increase over 3 years (percentage) 31.30

Gas and Electricity Supplies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2005, Official Report, column 816W, on gas and electricity supplies, which NHS sites in England have interruptible energy contracts; how many NHS sites there are in England; what the length is of the period of notice which the energy supplier must give NHS sites under the contracts concluded by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency before supplies are interrupted; and if she will make a statement on the contingency plans her Department has made to maintain energy supplies to all NHS sites this winter.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The number of national health service interruptible sites which are on centrally arranged purchasing and supply agency (PASA) contracts is 109 sites. A list of all sites is in the following table. There are approximately 15 to 20 other NHS sites on interruptible contracts that are not procured centrally.
	NHS PASA has centrally arranged contracts for gas and electricity for approximately 6,500 NHS sites.
	NHS sites on PASA contracts are on Transco interruptible contracts, not commercial contracts. They will only be asked to stop using supplies if there is a risk to the network, this varies from commercial contracts which are based on interruption or turn down at the supplier's request based on price. It is the supplier's responsibility to pass on notice to interrupt from Transco to the site, and the site would be expected to be given four hours' notice.
	In line with shifting the balance of power, sites have responsibility for local contingency arrangements, and some sites have alternative fuels that can be used in the event of an emergency. At a national level the Department is in regular communication with suppliers and the DTI emergency planning group to ensure that needs and requirements of the NHS are recognised in the event of an emergency.
	
		
			 Gas supply Trust name Branch name Address 1 Address 2 Address 3 Town 
		
		
			 Interruptible Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust University Hospital Aintree Longmoor Lane   Liverpool 
			 Interruptible Airedale NHS Trust Airedale General Hospital Skipton Road   Keighley 
			 Interruptible Barnet PCT Edgware Community Hospital (Boiler House)   Edgware 
			 Interruptible Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Barnsley District General Hospital Gawber Road   Barnsley 
			 Interruptible Barts and The London NHS Trust London Chest Hospital Bonner Road Bethnal Green  London 
			 Interruptible Barts and The London NHS Trust London Hospital (Whitechapel) Whitechapel   London 
			 Interruptible Barts and The London NHS Trust St. Bartholomews Hospital West Smithfield   London 
			 Interruptible Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust Basildon Hospital Nethermayne   Basildon 
			 Interruptible Benenden Hospital Trust Benenden Hospital Goddards Green Road Benenden  Cranbrook 
			 Interruptible Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust Princess Royal Hospital Lewes Road   Haywards Heath 
			 Interruptible Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust Princess Royal University Hospital Farnborough Common   Orpington 
			 Interruptible Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Addenbrookes Hospital Hills Road   Cambridge 
			 Interruptible Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Fulbourn Hospital Cambridge Road Fulbourn  Cambridge 
			 Interruptible Camden PCT St. Pancras Hospital 4 St Pancras Way   London 
			 Interruptible Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Carillion Services 369 Fulham Road  London 
			 Interruptible City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Trust Sunderland Royal Hospital Kayll Road   Sunderland 
			 Interruptible Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust Countess of Chester Hospital Countess of Chester Health Park Liverpool Road  Chester 
			 Interruptible County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Bishop Auckland General Hospital Cockton Hill Road   Bishop Auckland 
			 Interruptible County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Marrion Centre and Main Kitchen Darlington Memorial Hospital Hollyhurst Road  Darlington 
			 Interruptible East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust Lister Hospital Coreys Mill Lane   Stevenage 
			 Interruptible East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust Kent and Canterbury Hospital Ethelbert Road   Canterbury 
			 Interruptible East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital St. Peters Road   Margate 
			 Interruptible East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust William Harvey Hospital Kennington Road Willesborough  Ashford 
			 Interruptible East Somerset NHS Trust Yeovil District Hospital Higher Kingston   Yeovil 
			 Interruptible East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust Conquest Hospital The Ridge   St. Leonards on Sea 
			 Interruptible East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust Eastbourne D G H Kings Drive   Eastbourne 
			 Interruptible Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust Epsom General Hospital Dorking Road   Epsom 
			 Interruptible Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust St. Helier Hospital Wrythe Lane   Carshalton 
			 Interruptible Frimley Park Hospitals NHS Trust Frimley Park Hospital Portsmouth Road Frimley  Camberley 
			 Interruptible Gateshead Health NHS Trust Queen Elizabeth Hospital Old Durham Road   Gateshead 
			 Interruptible George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust George Eliot Hospital College Street   Nuneaton 
			 Interruptible Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust Good Hope Hospital Rectory Road   Sutton Coldfield 
			 Interruptible Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital Trust Guy's Hospital Boiler House Great Maze Pond  London 
			 Interruptible Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital Trust St. Thomas' Hospital Works Dept Basement East Wing Lambeth Palace Road London 
			 Interruptible Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust Charing Cross Hospital Fulham Palace Road Hammersmith  London 
			 Interruptible Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust Hammersmith Hospital 150 Du Cane Road Hammersmith  London 
			 Interruptible Harrogate Health Care NHS Trust Harrogate District Hospital Lancaster Park Road   Harrogate 
			 Interruptible Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust Hillingdon Hospital Pield Heath Road   Uxbridge 
			 Interruptible Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust Ipswich Hospital Heath Road   Ipswich 
			 Interruptible Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust Kettering General Hospital Rothwell Road   Kettering 
			 Interruptible Kings College Hospital NHS Trust Dulwich Hospital (South Wing) South Wing East Dulwich Grove  London 
			 Interruptible Kings College Hospital NHS Trust Kings College Hospital Bessemer Road Denmark Hill  London 
			 Interruptible Kingston Hospital NHS Trust Kingston Hospital Galsworthy Road   Kingston-on-Thames 
			 Interruptible Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Chapel Allerton Hospital Harehills Lane   Leeds 
			 Interruptible Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Cookridge and Ida Hospitals Otley Old Road Cookridge  Leeds 
			 Interruptible Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Seacroft Hospital York Road   Leeds 
			 Interruptible Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust St. James Hospital Beckett Street   Leeds 
			 Interruptible Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust Lewisham Hospital Lewisham High Street Lewisham  London 
			 Interruptible Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Maidstone Hospital Hermitage Lane Barming  Maidstone 
			 Interruptible Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust Mayday University Hospital London Road   Croydon 
			 Interruptible Medway NHS Trust Medway Maritime Hospital Windmill Road   Gillingham 
			 Interruptible Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust Leighton Hospital Middlewich Road   Crewe 
			 Interruptible Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust Staffordshire General Hospital Weston Road   Stafford 
			 Interruptible Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Dewsbury District Hospital Halifax Road   Dewsbury 
			 Interruptible Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust Pinderfields General Hospital Aberford Road   Wakefield 
			 Interruptible Newcastle North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health Trust St. Nicholas Hospital Jubilee Road Gosforth  Newcastle Upon Tyne 
			 Interruptible North Bristol NHS Trust Southmead Hospital Southmead Road W.O.T.  Bristol 
			 Interruptible North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust Warrington D G H Lovely Lane   Warrington 
			 Interruptible North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Cumberland Infirmary Newtown Road   Carlisle 
			 Interruptible North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust West Cumberland Hospital Hensingham   Whitehaven 
			 Interruptible North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust University Hospital of Hartlepool Holdforth Road   Hartlepool 
			 Interruptible North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust University Hospital of North Tees Boiler House Hardwick Estate  Stockton on Tees 
			 Interruptible Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Northampton General Hospital Cliftonville   Northampton 
			 Interruptible Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust North Devon District Hospital Raleigh Park   Barnstaple 
			 Interruptible Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust Diana Princess of Wales Hospital Scartho Road   Grimsby 
			 Interruptible Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust Scunthorpe General Hospital Cliff Gardens   Scunthorpe 
			 Interruptible Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust North Tyneside General Hospital Rake Lane   North Shields 
			 Interruptible Norwich PCT Norwich Community Hospital Bowthorpe Road   Norwich 
			 Interruptible Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust John Radcliffe Hospital Headley Way   Oxford 
			 Interruptible Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust Radcliffe Infirmary Woodstock Road   Oxford 
			 Interruptible Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust Peterborough District Hospital Thorpe Road   Peterborough 
			 Interruptible Poole Hospital NHS Trust Poole General Hospital Longfleet Road   Poole 
			 Interruptible Portsmouth City PCT St. James Hospital Locksway Road Milton  Portsmouth 
			 Interruptible Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust Queen Alexandra Hospital Southwick Hill Road Cosham  Portsmouth 
			 Interruptible Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital Stadium Road   London 
			 Interruptible Rotherham General Hospitals NHS Trust Rotherham District General Hospital Moorgate Road   Rotherham 
			 Interruptible Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust Battle Hospital Portman Road   Reading 
			 Interruptible Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Berkshire Hospital London Road   Reading 
			 Interruptible Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Bournemouth Hospital Castle Lane East   Bournemouth 
			 Interruptible Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust Harefield Hospital Hill End Road Harefield  Uxbridge 
			 Interruptible Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust Royal Brompton Hospital Fulham Road Chelsea  London 
			 Interruptible Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust Royal Free Hospital Pond Street Hampstead  London 
			 Interruptible Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust Royal Surrey County Hospital Egerton Road   Guildford 
			 Interruptible Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust Royal United Hospital Combe Park Main Boiler House  Bath 
			 Interruptible Royal West Sussex NHS Trust St. Richards Hospital Spitalfield Lane   Chichester 
			 Interruptible Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (North) Mytton Oak Road   Shrewsbury 
			 Interruptible South of Tyne and Wearside NHS Trust Cherry Knowle Hospital Stockton Road  Ryhope Sunderland 
			 Interruptible South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust James Cook University Hospital Marton Road   Middlesbrough 
			 Interruptible South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust South Tyneside District Hospital Harton Lane   South Shields 
			 Interruptible South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust Fieldhead Hospital Ouchthorpe Lane Stanley  Wakefield 
			 Interruptible Southend Hospital NHS Trust Southend Hospital Prittlewell Chase   Southend-on-Sea 
			 Interruptible St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust St. George's Hospital Main Supply (Boiler House) Blackshaw Road Tooting London 
			 Interruptible St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust St. Helens Hospital Marshalls Cross Road   St. Helens 
			 Interruptible St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust Whiston Hospital Warrington Road Whiston  Prescot 
			 Interruptible St. Mary's NHS Trust St. Mary's Hospital Praed Street Paddington  London 
			 Interruptible United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust Boiler House Bristol Royal Infirmary Southwell Street  Bristol 
			 Interruptible United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust Grantham and Dist. Hospital 101 Manthorpe Road   Grantham 
			 Interruptible United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust Lincoln County Hospital Greetwell Road   Lincoln 
			 Interruptible University College London Hospitals NHS Trust The Middlesex Hospital Mortimer Street   London 
			 Interruptible University College London Hospitals NHS Trust University College Hospital Huntley Street   London 
			 Interruptible University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust City General Hospital Newcastle Road   Stoke on Trent 
			 Interruptible University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust North Staffs Royal Infirmary Princes Road Hartshill  Stoke on Trent 
			 Interruptible University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Glenfield General Hospital Groby Road   Leicester 
			 Interruptible University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Leicester General Hospital Gwendolen Road   Leicester 
			 Interruptible University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Leicester Royal Infirmary Infirmary Square   Leicester 
			 Interruptible Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust Walsall Manor Hospital Moat Road   Walsall 
			 Interruptible West London Mental Health NHS Trust Ealing General And St. Bernards Wing Uxbridge Road   Southall 
			 Interruptible Whittington Hospital NHS Trust Whittington Hospital St. Marys Wing Highgate Hill  London 
			 Interruptible Worthing and Southlands Hospital NHS Trust Worthing Hospital Lyndhurst Road   Worthing

General Dental Services Contract

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how her Department plans to inform (a) dentists and (b) patients about the new general dental services contract; and how much has been allocated to publicise the contract.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 3 November 2005
	The acting chief dental officer has written to all dentists, explaining the key messages of the new contracts. He is also holding regular meetings with groups of dentists across the country. The Department and the British Dental Association have met twice recently to discuss the new contracts. We have arranged articles in the dental press, recently issued extensive guidance to the national health service that included key messages to dentists and are holding six roadshows across England during November and December to build on the recent guidance.
	The Department will produce an information leaflet for patients and a poster to explain the proposed banded system of patient charges for dentists to display in their surgeries.

General Medical Services Contract

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the total number of points available for assessing practice remuneration under the General Medical Services contract is assigned to (a) severe mental illness, (b) coronary heart disease, (c) diabetes and (d) cancer.

Liam Byrne: The total number of points available in the quality and outcomes framework, part of the general medical services contract for 200506 is 1,050. The points available for the named diseases shown in the table.
	
		
			 Disease Points Percentage (per cent. of the total) 
		
		
			 Severe mental illness (128)30 2.9 
			 Coronary heart disease, including left ventricular disease 121 11.5 
			 Diabetes 99 9.4 
			 Cancer 12 1.14 
		
	
	(128) Plus an additional 11 points for lithium therapy.

General Medical Services Contract

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the priority given to severe mental illness in the practice remuneration system of the general medical services contract.

Liam Byrne: The quality and outcomes framework is part of the general medical services contract. For the current financial year severe mental illness has 30 points allocated, plus a further 11 for patients on lithium therapy.
	The contract is currently being re-negotiated and the disease areas being covered in the updated framework will be announced at the conclusion of the negotiations.

General Practitioners

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage change in payments to general practitioners following the introduction of the Quality and Outcomes Framework included in the new General Medical Services contract for General Practice has been in (a) England and (b) for Dacorum Primary Care Trust; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: In 200405, in the year they were introduced, quality and outcomes framework payments for England accounted for about 9.5 per cent. of the total payments made by primary care trusts under the new general medical services contract.
	For Dacorum PCT, figures held centrally indicate that about 11.3 per cent. of the total payments made by PCTs under the new general medical services contract relate to the quality and outcomes framework.
	Information relating for Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.

General Practitioners

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer from the Prime Minister of 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 302, to the right hon. Member for West Derbyshire (Mr. McLoughlin), what the evidential basis is for the statement about the pay of general practitioners compared with their European counterparts.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 14 November 2005
	The table shows the latest available comparisons published in 2005 between general practitioners (GPs) earnings in the UK compared against their European equivalents.
	Evidence is taken from the research firm Stethos' recent GP survey and used by the British Medical Association in their memorandum of evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration. The evidence indicates UK GP earnings are currently ranked the highest in Europe.
	
		Net GP earnings across five European countries
		
			   
			 Countries Net GP earnings 
		
		
			 France 42, 037 
			 United Kingdom 49, 947 
			 Germany 49, 299 
			 Spain 25, 926 
			 Italy 22, 607

GP/Dentist Registration

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents in West Lancashire constituency were registered with (a) a general practitioner and (b) an NHS dentist in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Table 1: Registered patients(129) for Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority and West Lancashire Primary Care Trust, for 19972004England
		
			 Number (headcount) 
			   1997 1998 1999 2000 
		
		
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire 1,953,272 1,959,654 1,896,094 1,956,484 
			 of which:  
			 5F3 West Lancashire PCT 
		
	
	
		
			   2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire 1,953,563 1,943,598 1,981,218 1,970,937 
			 of which:  
			 5F3 West Lancashire PCT 109,448 111,587 112,187 110,550 
		
	
	'' denotes data not applicable.
	(129) Patients registered with general practitioners in the given PCT may be resident outside of the specific PCT geographical area.
	Note:
	Data as at 1 October 199799 and 30 September 200004.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.
	
		Table 2: Number of residents in West Lancashire constituency registered with an NHS dentist as at 30 September
		
			  Number of patients 
		
		
			 1997 50,266 
			 1998 43,526 
			 1999 44,477 
			 2000 46,552 
			 2001 44,921 
			 2002 46,830 
			 2003 45,867 
			 2004 48,293 
			 2005 53,208 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Patients are included within the constituency area according to the postcode of the dental practice and not the patient's own home address.
	2. Most Personal Dental Service schemes that have registrations have a re-registration period in excess of 15 months, so the figures for PDS schemes are generally higher than they would have been for the same attendance pattern under General Dental Service.
	3. This information was provided by the Dental Practice Board and relates to patients registered with dentists whose practice address postcodes are within the constituency boundary.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board

Health Funding (Hemel Hempstead)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated by her Department to the Hemel Hempstead constituency for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last eight years.

Rosie Winterton: Capital and revenue allocations are made to NHS organisations, strategic health authorities, primary care trusts (PCTs) and NHS trusts and are not allocated on a constituency basis. The tables show the NHS bodies within the Hemel Hempstead constituency that have received capital and revenue funding.
	The operational capital allocated to all organisations within the Dacorum PCT area are shown in table 1. The funding is provided to maintain and enhance their existing capital stock.
	
		Table 1: Capital and revenue funding receivedDacorum PCT
		
			 000 
			 Organisation 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Dacorum PCT 123 132 141 
			 E  N Herts NHS Trust 4,262 4,560 4,880 
			 West Hertfordshire Hospital NHS Trust 4,413 4,745 5,077 
			 Beds  Herts Ambulance  Paramedic Services NHS Trust 1,179 1,346 1,523 
		
	
	Strategic capital is allocated to strategic health authorities to support larger scale investments. The allocations for the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA is shown in table 2.
	
		Table 2: Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA
		
			  000 
		
		
			 200304 13,548 
			 200405 15,310 
			 200506 17,224 
		
	
	Note:
	Comparisons between allocations rounds cannot be made, for the following reasons:
	Revenue allocations were made to health authorities for the period 200001 to 200203;
	Changes are made to the weighted capitation formula for each allocations round, therefore, comparisons would not be on a like-with-like basis;
	200306 revenue allocations were made direct to PCTs, for the first time, and were on a three-yearly basis; and
	200608 is the first year that Primary Medical Services (PMedS) were incorporated on to revenue allocations.
	Prior to 200304, the Department allocated all NHS capital to the eight regional offices who had responsibility for distributing this funding to their health authorities. NHS capital allocations have not yet been made for 200607 onwards.
	The most recent round of revenue allocations, covering 200607 and 200708 was announced in February 2005. Revenue allocations made to Dacorum PCT for this period is shown in table 3.
	
		Table 3
		
			  Dacorum PCT 
		
		
			 200607 (000) 165,791 
			 200708 (000) 180,733 
			 Increase over 2 years (percentage) 18.5 
		
	
	The 200304 to 200506 revenue allocations to PCTs were announced in December 2002. Revenue allocations made to Dacorum PCT for this period is shown in table 4.
	
		Table 4
		
			  Dacorum PCT 
		
		
			 200304 (000) 115,040 
			 200405 (000) 126,173 
			 200506 (000) 138,186 
			 Increase over 3 years ( percentage) 31.8 
		
	
	Prior to 200304, revenue allocations were made direct to health authorities (HAs) on an annual basis. Revenue allocations made to HAs in the Hertfordshire area from 200001 to 200102 is shown in tables 5 and 6.
	
		Table 5
		
			 Health authority 200001 (000) Percentage increase 
		
		
			 200001 East  North Hertfordshire HA allocation 318,662 9.0 
			 200001 West Hertfordshire HA allocation 346,924 8.6 
		
	
	
		Table 6
		
			 Health authority 200102 (000) Percentage increase 
		
		
			 200102 East  North Hertfordshire HA allocation 348,992 8.8 
			 200102 West Hertfordshire HA allocation 374,913 8.6 
		
	
	In 200203 there were several HA mergers. East and North Hertfordshire HA  West Hertfordshire HA became Hertfordshire HA. Revenue allocation made to Hertfordshire HA for 200203 is shown in table 7.
	
		Table 7
		
			  Hertfordshire HA 
		
		
			 200203 (000) 802,649 
			 Percentage increase 9.6

Health Services (Uxbridge)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for an appointment to see a general practitioner was in (a) the parliamentary constituency of Uxbridge and (b) Greater London in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The requested data are not collected or held centrally. Since 2001, data has been collected each month from primary care trusts and general practitioners on the availability of access to a general practitioner. This data show whether access is or is not available in line with the NHS Plan target that patients should be able to be seen within 48 hours but do not provide information on actual waiting times.

Health Services (Uxbridge)

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time to an emergency call to the Ambulance Service was in (a) Uxbridge constituency and (b) each London borough in the last year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not centrally collected in the requested format. The data that the Department collects on ambulance response times are published in tables 5a, 5b, 6 and 7 of the statistical bulletin, Ambulance services, England: 200405, which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk.

Health Trust Funding

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial resources were made available to (a) Wellhouse Trust for financial year 199798, (b) Chase Farm Trust for financial year 199798, (c) Barnet Chase Farm Trust for 200506, (d) Barnet Health Authority for the financial year 199798 and (e) Barnet Primary Care Trust for 200506; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: In 199798, the revenue allocation to Barnet Health Authority was 149.1 million.
	From 200304 revenue allocations have been made to primary care trusts (PCTs). Barnet Primary Care Trust was allocated 361.1 million in 200506.
	There are several reasons why comparisons between allocations rounds cannot be made, for example: changes are made to the weighted capitation formula for each allocations round, therefore, comparisons would not be on a like with like basis; and, 200608 is the first year that primary medical services (PMedS) were incorporated onto revenue allocations.
	It is for PCTs, and was previously for health authorities, to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local total income, including all income from activities and all other operating income in 199798 for Chase Farm Hospitals National Health Service Trust and Wellhouse NHS Trust is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Organisation Total income 199798 (000) 
		
		
			 Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 56,876 
			 Wellhouse NHS Trust 71,876 
		
	
	Source:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust and the Wellhouse NHS Trust 199798.
	Allocations are now made to PCTs. PCTs were informed of their allocation for 200506 as part of the announcement of the 200304 to 200506 revenue allocations in December 2002. Information is therefore not currently available on the financial resources of Barnet Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust for 200506.
	The latest year for which the audited financial information of all NHS organisations, strategic health authorities, PCTs and NHS trusts, is available is for 200405. The financial position of Barnet Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust in 200405 showed a breakeven position.

Health Workers (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) dental nurses, (b) dental hygienists and (c) dental therapists there are in Coventry South.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 November 2005.
	As of 30 September 2004 there were two qualified dental therapists in the Coventry South constituency area.
	Information about the number of dental nurses and dental hygienists is not held centrally.
	Source
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Healthcare Professionals Recruitment

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received from (a) healthcare recruitment agencies, (b) developing countries and (c) representatives of health workers regarding the Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals.

Liam Byrne: The Secretary of State has received no recent representations from individual healthcare recruitment agencies or developing countries. Representations regarding this issue have been received within the last three months from representatives of health workers.

Hemel Hempstead Hospital

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if she will list the posts that will be lost at Hemel Hempstead Hospital under the proposed plans to close all acute services at the hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The reconfiguration of health services in Hertfordshire is a matter for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire strategic health authority to agree upon, in partnership with the primary care trusts within the two counties. This major reconfiguration of services, known locally as Investing in Your Health, was consulted on in 2003, and the strategic health authority is currently compiling an outline business case which is expected to be submitted to the Department in January 2006.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) MRSA and (b) other antibiotic resistant bacteria infections there have been at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital in (a) private and (b) NHS patients in each of the last five years; and what the average number per acute hospital in England in each category was over the same period.

Jane Kennedy: The best data available are from the mandatory surveillance system which started in April 2001. Reports of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital National Health Service Trust are shown in the table. The table also shows the trust and national rate per 1,000 bed days as this is a more reliable benchmark than an average number of reports.
	
		Reports of MRSA at Norfolk and Norwich hospital
		
			  April 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to March 2005 
		
		
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust Number of reports 62 57 64 58 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust Rate per 1,000 bed days 0.22 0.19 0.20 0.18 
			 National rate per 1,000 bed days 0.17 0.17 0.18 0.17 
		
	
	The mandatory surveillance system also includes reports of blood stream infections caused by glycopeptide resistant enteroccoci. Results of the first year of surveillance, October 2003 to September 2004, are available and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust did not have any cases during this year. As this is a relatively rare national infection rates are not available.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research the Department has commissioned into combating MRSA.

Jane Kennedy: During the first half of 2003, the Department commissioned a 2.5 million strategic programme of research aimed at improving scientific understanding of antimicrobial resistance. Part of that total sum, together with funds committed by the former NHS Estates Agency, is being spent on projects that will provide information relating to best practice in preventing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
	The publication of the Department's report Winning Waysworking together to reduce healthcare associated infection in England in December 2003 was accompanied by the announcement that 3 million would be allocated to fund a new research programme on healthcare associated infections.
	Several projects are being supported from this fund. These include:
	a national observational study of the effectiveness of the Clean Your Hands campaign and a cluster randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of feedback in intensive care units and acute general medical wards;
	a study of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of MRSA screening and monitoring on surgical wards using a new, rapid molecular test;
	a randomised crossover trial of a new, rapid method of MRSA detection compared with conventional screening: efficacy and the effect upon hospital MRSA infection rates, transmission rates and the use of hospital resources.
	Funding has recently been agreed to support the development of a healthcare infection research network. In addition, a call for proposals for research into the cost-effectiveness of interventions aimed at controlling the spread of infection was published earlier this year. Twelve short listed projects are being peer reviewed and we expect to commission several of these early next year.

Influenza

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government funding have been directed towards the creation of a vaccine for the H5N1 influenza virus.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1715W.

Liquid-based Cytology

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the health trusts which will introduce liquid-based cytology over the next three years; and what the planned implementation date is for each.

Rosie Winterton: Although primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for the commissioning of cervical screening services, not all PCTs have a cervical screening laboratory. Therefore, we have advised strategic health authorities (SHAs) to lead on the implementation of liquid based cytology (LBC), in close collaboration with PCTs, regional quality assurance directors, regional directors of public health and, where appropriate, cancer networks. We have not asked for these local strategies to be submitted centrally as the SHAs are best placed to judge the needs of their local populations. We expect all SHAs to have introduced LBC by 2008.

Macular Degeneration

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the implementation of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance relating to photodynamic therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued its guidance on photodynamic therapy on 24 September 2003. Implementation of the NICE guidance was co-ordinated by local specialist commissioning groups and all primary care trusts are funding photodynamic therapy treatment for patients with both the wholly classic and predominantly classic forms of age-related macular degeneration.

Management Consultants

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by the (a) Cheshire and (b) Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire health authority on management consultants in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally.

Management Consultants

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what projects in the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire strategic health authority (a) have required and (b) will require the assistance of external management consultants in 200506.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for local decision making which should take full account of local circumstances.

Mental Health

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inpatients detained under sections (a) 2, (b) 3 and (c) 4 of the Mental Health Act 1983 have absconded from psychiatric hospitals in each year since 1997; and from which hospital in each case.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally. Absconsions occur when patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 go missing outside of the secure perimeter of a unit, e.g. when on a scheduled visit. Missing patient incidents that originate from inside the perimeter of a secure site are termed escapes or breakout.
	Absconsions can be either non-serious or serious untoward incidents (SUIs). In relation to mental health patients, an SUI means the absconsion of a patient detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 where a significant risk is posed to the patient or to others. A non-serious absconsion would be where the absconsion is unintentional, due for example to a patient missing a transport connection when returning from leave.
	SUI absconsion reporting is far more stringent than for non-serious absconsions. There must be clear local procedures at each national health service organisation to identify, report and investigate SUIs. Information is collected by each strategic health authority (SHA) about all SUIs reported during each calendar year by month, type and NHS organisation, and is available on request from the SHAs. These requirements do not apply to collecting non- serious absconsion data.

Mental Health

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specialist services are available for families affected by mental health problems in Hemel Hempstead constituency.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not held in the format requested. However, shown is a list of services that can be found in the Directory of Services in Hertfordshire Local Implementation Team (this is not an exhaustive list) and further information is available on the Adult Mental Health Service Mapping and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Mapping websites at: www.dur.ac.uk/service.mapping/amh/index.php (adults) and www.camhsmapping.org.uk/2005/index.php (CAMHS).
	Types of services available:
	Access and Crisis Services
	Accommodation Services
	Carers' Services
	Clinical Services
	Continuing Care Services
	Day Services
	Home Care Services
	Key Services
	Mental Health Promotion
	Other Services
	Primary Care Services
	Secure Services
	Service Development
	Services for Mentally Ill Offenders
	Support Services
	Therapy Services
	Source:
	Adult Mental Health Service Mapping

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children with mental illness have been treated in adult wards in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 842W.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether responsibility for mental health tribunals proposed in the draft Mental Health Bill will be passed from her Department to the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Rosie Winterton: The Department and the Department of Constitutional Affairs' (DCA) ministers have agreed in principle to transfer the responsibility for mental health review tribunals to the DCA on 31 March 2006.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will carry out an investigation into how The Guardian newspaper received a copy of the unpublished report by the code of practice working group set up to implement a workable model of mental health tribunals proposed in the draft Mental Health Bill.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is not carrying out an investigation.

Mid-Essex Hospital Trust

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intermediate care beds there have been in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 November 2005
	The number of intermediate care beds within the Mid Essex Hospital Trust area are shown in
	the table.
	
		Number of intermediate care beds
		
			  Primary care trust 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 5GR Basildon PCT 0 0 0 
			 5GL Maldon  South Chelmsford PCT 51 51 51 
			 5JN Chelmsford PCT 42 41 22 
			 5GP Brentwood, Billericay and Wickford PCT 26 91 92 
		
	
	Note:
	Data prior to 200203 were collected on a health authority basis.
	Source: LDPR

Mid-Essex Hospital Trust

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there have been in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 November 2005
	The latest data available relating to delayed discharges in the Mid-Essex Hospital Trust area are shown in the table.
	
		Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust
		
			  Delayed transfers of care 
		
		
			 19992000 58 
			 200001 2 
			 200102 2 
			 200203 6 
			 200304 2 
			 200405 9 
		
	
	Note:
	Data in the table are taken from local monitoring of delayed discharges included in the SITREPs collection. These figures are based on a snapshot taken on the last typical Thursday in the year. This differs to the day used in the separate, quarterly LDPR commissioner collections on which the figures published in the statistical supplement to the chief executive's report to the NHS, May 2005 are based.
	Source:
	Situation Reports (SITREPS)

Midwifery

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the midwifery vacancy rate for Southampton University Hospitals Trust has been in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Health and social care information centre vacancies survey, national health service three-month vacancies for Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust for qualified midwives, three-month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			Midwives 
			Three month vacancy rate (Percentage) Three month vacancy number (Staff in post) full-time equivalent 
		
		
			 Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust RHM 2005 0.3 0 162 
			   2004 2.6 4 172 
			   2003 4.1 6 143 
			   2002 0.0  136 
			   2001 0.0  128 
		
	
	Notes:
	Three month vacancy notes:
	1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March each specified year.
	2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which Trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full-time equivalents).
	3. Three month Vacancy Rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. Three month Vacancy Rates are calculated using staff in post from the Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	5. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	Staff in post notes:
	1. Staff in post data are from the Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	2. zero.
	General notes:
	1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	Sources:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey.
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Midwifery

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives have been employed by Southampton University Hospitals Trust in each of the last five years (a) in numerical terms and (b) as full-time equivalents.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		National health service hospital and community health services: qualified midwifery staff employed by Southampton University Hospitals Trust as at 30 September each specified year
		
			  Qualified midwifery staff 
			  Full-time equivalent Headcount 
		
		
			 2000 128 169 
			 2001 136 183 
			 2002 143 188 
			 2003 172 222 
			 2004 162 228 
		
	
	Note:
	Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Midwifery

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of maternity units in England have vacancies in midwifery posts; and what proportion of these vacancies have been unfilled for at least three months;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to increase the number of (a) student midwives and (b) midwives in practice in the national health service.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 November 2005
	Information is not collected centrally on the numbers of vacancies in each maternity unit. The table shows vacancies for midwives that have lasted three months or more in national health service organisations as at March 2005.
	Over 70 per cent. of NHS organisations that employ midwives did not report any vacancies lasting three months or more. As at March 2005, 348 midwifery posts had been vacant for three months or more, which represents a vacancy rate of 1.8 per cent., which is a fall from 3.3 per cent. the previous year.
	As at September 2004, there were 24,844 midwives employed in the NHS, which is an increase of 2,272 or 10 per cent. since 2000. A range of work force supply initiatives are in place to ensure the NHS work force continues to meet service needs. These include: improving pay and conditions; encouraging the NHS to become a better, more flexible and diverse employer; increasing training; investing in child care and continuing professional development; attracting back returners and running national and international recruitment campaigns.
	NHS Employers is working closely with the NHS to help embed these strategies locally within their organisations.
	
		Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005proportion of trusts that returned a three month vacancy rate for qualified midwives
		
			  Number and percentage 
		
		
			 Total NHS organisations(130) 616 
			 Trusts employing qualified midwifery staff(130) 180 
			 of which:  
			 Returned a three month vacancy rate 51 
			   
			 Rate of vacancies lasting three months or more (percentage) 1.8 
		
	
	(130) The 2005 Vacancy Survey did not receive a valid return from the Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust. This trust has been excluded from all applicable calculations.
	Sources:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Vacancies Survey March 2005
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2004

MRI/CT Scans

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many scans have been delivered to date under the Alliance Medical contract for mobile MRI scans; how many (a) rejected and (b) repeat scans there were; and what assessment she has made of the (i) timeliness of, (ii) quality of and (iii) customer satisfaction with scans provided under the contract.

Liam Byrne: Over 83,000 scans had been delivered via the Alliance Medical Limited (AML) mobile scanning units by the end of October 2005. Of these, less than 1.5 per cent. were repeat scans, which is in line with national health service practice and incorporates the figure for rejected scans as patients are automatically re-imaged by AML.
	AML is now exceeding its contracted reporting time of four working days, with 97 per cent. of scan reports returned within three days.
	Scan quality is independently audited every six months by the clinical guardian of the contract, Professor Adrian Dixon; NHS sponsors; and AML's head of clinical governance.
	The last audit, which compared a sample of scans provided by the NHS and the independent sector, carried out by the Royal College of Radiologists in conjunction with the Department of Health, was published in May 2005. The findings stated that there was little difference in the technical quality of magnetic resonance examinations between the two services.
	In addition, scan quality is monitored consistently throughout the contract as an integral part of the clinical governance framework. Any discrepancies or concerns are audited on a case by case basis by the clinical guardian of the contract.
	In October, 90 per cent. of patients rated the service as excellent or good.

MRI/CT Scans

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether patients who have waited longer than 20 weeks for (a) an MRI and (b) a CT scan at a hospital run by an NHS foundation trust will be offered the choice to be treated elsewhere.

Liam Byrne: The Department are currently discussing how choice of scan relates to national health service foundation trusts with monitor and the position will be clarified before choice of scan commences on the 30 November. There is no reason, however, that NHS foundation trusts should not accept patients from other providers where they wish to do so and have the available capacity.

Multiple Sclerosis

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each county of England suffer from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The information requested is not available centrally in the requested format. However, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has previously estimated that in England and Wales multiple sclerosis (MS) affects around 63,000 people and that secondary progressive MS accounts for about 45 per cent. of the total population with MS.

Myelopathy

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of HTLV-1 associated myelopathy have been recorded in each year since 1988.

Liam Byrne: Specific data on the number of cases of HTLV-I associated myelopathy are not collected.
	Research, published in 1994, has identified 231 cases of HTLV types one and two associated myelopathy in England and Wales for the period 1986 to 1992.
	Details are available on the Health Protection Agency's website at: hpa.org.uk/cdr/archives/CDRreview/1994/cdrr0694.pdf.

Nappies

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what measures she has put in place to ensure the safety of commercial cloth laundering services supplying NHS maternity wards with communally laundered cloth nappies for newborn babies; and what temperature these nappies are washed at;
	(2)  when the proposed BSI PAS 100 safety standard for commercial cloth nappy laundries will be finalised;
	(3)  what research she has evaluated on the effects on levels of infections of the use of communally-laundered cloth nappies in NHS maternity wards.

Liam Byrne: Commercial cloth laundering services supplying national health services maternity wards with communally laundered cloth nappies for newborn babies must comply with NHS laundry guideline with HSG(95)18, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The guidelines set a thermal disinfection wash cycle in which the water temperature has been raised to 65 degrees centigrade for not less than ten minutes or to 71 degrees centigrade for not less than three minutes.
	The British Standards Institute publicly available specification 106 safety standard for commercial cloth nappy laundries is expected to be published early in the new year.
	The Department has not evaluated any research into the effects on levels of infections of the use of communally-laundered cloth nappies in NHS maternity wards.

National Minimum Wage

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in her Department were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October.

Jane Kennedy: The Department pays above the minimum wage; therefore, no employees were affected by the rise on 1 October.

NHS Bodies

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government are taking to protect jobs in the proposed reforms of (a) the Dental Practice Board, (b) the NHS Logistics Authority, (c) the NHS Pensions Agency and (d) the Prescription Pricing Authority.

Liam Byrne: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) will be formed through a merger of the Dental Practice Board, NHS Logistics Authority, NHS Pensions Agency and Prescription Pricing Authority which is scheduled to take place on 1 April 2006.
	No decision has been taken to privatise any of the functions of the NHSBSA. However, contracting out and market testing will be considered if they offer value for money. If engagement with the private sector offers better value and results in a decision to transfer service delivery from BSA constituent organisations to a new employer, the BSA will follow best practice within national health service organisations; those staff who move across will have the protection of the transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) regulations and benefit from the recent joint statement of good practice issued on 6 October 2005 by the Department, NHS employers, the Confederation of British Industry and the Business Services Association, together with a number of trade unions.
	Any savings made as a result of any outsourcing or market testing will be re-invested in front line NHS services.

NHS Direct

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for NHS Direct services to be accessible via internet-enabled mobile handsets.

Liam Byrne: NHS Direct Special Health Authority (SpHA) is responsible for setting overall strategy and direction for the service. There are no immediate plans to make services accessible in this way. Any future plans would need to be considered by the SpHA in the context of its three-year multi-channel strategy and agreed by Department through the established governance arrangements.

NHS Staff (Bullying)

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of the bullying of members of its staff by other members of its staff; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The improving working lives initiative ensures employers have in place an organisational commitment and culture to tackle discrimination/harassment and bullying.
	No official estimate of the financial cost of bullying in the national health service has been made. However, the NHS national staff survey for 2004, carried out by the Healthcare Commission, revealed that 16 per cent. of NHS staff had been bullied, harassed or abused by other staff in the previous year. Given that the NHS employs over 1,300,000 people, the total personal and financial costs of bullying is unacceptably high. With the support of NHS employers, the Department is working to ensure an approach of zero tolerance to bullying and harassment in the NHS.

NHS Work Force Data

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations have been made to the Department by (a) the Royal Statistical Society and (b) the Statistics Commission on the presentation of NHS workforce data; and how the Department has responded.

Jane Kennedy: Two representations have been made this year to the Department by the Royal Statistical Society and the Statistics Commission on the publication in March 2004 of an incorrect chart showing trends in the national health service's workforce. The Department responded to both representations, acknowledging that the chart was incorrect, and indicating that a correction had been published on the Department's website. The central message that the chart had intended to convey, increases in the work force each year since 1997, was still correct.

Norfolk PCTs

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will make a decision on the reorganisation of Norfolk primary care trusts; and if she will undertake a public consultation process.

Rosie Winterton: Strategic health authorities haverecently submitted their proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts, which set out how they intend to strengthen their commissioning function. These proposals have been assessed by an independent external panel drawn from and representing a wide range of stakeholder interests, to determine whether the SHA proposals meet the criteria stipulated in 'Commissioning a Patient-Led NHS' (July 2005). Where the criteria are judged to have been met the proposals will go forward to a three-month public consultation. No decisions on the reorganisation of PCTs will be taken until this process has been completed.

Nursing Agencies

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing agencies (a) meet and (b) do not meet her minimum Department of Health guidelines (i) in England and (ii) in Surrey.

Jane Kennedy: The National Audit Team for the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency monitor the commercial agencies providing personnel to the national health service via national framework agreements.
	Of the 55 nursing agencies that have been audited nationally 29 have passed the audit requirements and 12 agencies have been terminated from the frameworks. The remainder have or will be undergoing a second audit with recommendations to be made following the reports.
	For the framework agreement for the south of England, including Surrey, 18 nursing agencies have been audited of which eight have passed and eight have been terminated from the framework.

Obesity

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of obesity on the budget for drug prescribing by general practitioners for (i) obesity and (ii) (A) diabetes, (B) coronary heart disease, (C) stroke, (D) hypertension, (E) hyperthyroidism, (F) cancer, (G) arthritis, (H) asthma and (I) other associated co-morbidities.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 22 November 2005
	No research has been commissioned on the effect of obesity on the budget for drug prescribing by general practitioners (GPs) for treating obesity and its consequences. However, 222,000 items of all anti-obesity drugs were prescribed in GP practices in England and dispensed in the community in the second quarter of 2005, April to June 2005, with a net ingredient cost of 9.6 million.

Ophthalmic Operations

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of whether the employment of South African clinicians to provide cataract operations by Netcare complies with the Government's ethical recruitment policy.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 October 2005
	Yes. Netcare are contractually obliged to follow the Government's Code of Practice for International Recruitment. This is in line with the Memorandum of Understanding with South Africa, which specifically enables qualified healthcare professionals to undertake time-limited placements in the United Kingdom providing opportunities for collaboration and the exchange of knowledge and skills.

Patient and Public Involvement Resource Centre

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the allocated budget for the Patient and Public Involvement Resource Centre is for 200506; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is in the process of procuring a supplier to design, develop and deliver a new centre to support the delivery of patient and public involvement in heath care. We anticipate launching the centre in January 2006.
	As we are in the middle of a procurement process, the details of the budget are commercially confidential.

Patient Choice

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information will be available to patients under patient choice about (a) NHS providers and (b) private providers; whether it is her intention that information will be directly comparable; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Patients will need comparative information for national health service and independent sector providers. For choice at referral, a basic set of information on access and location, waiting times and hospital performance will be available through nhs.uk and patient leaflets drawing on information currently available. The Department has already begun a programme of work to develop the more detailed comparative information, particularly on clinical quality, which patients will need as we increase choice in elective care.

Patient Safety

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts have not submitted patient safety data to the National Reporting and Learning System; and what action she will take to reduce this number.

Jane Kennedy: As of mid-November 2005, about 75 per cent. of all national health service trusts in England have submitted data to the national patient safety agency's national reporting and learning system (NRLS). 146 NHS trusts have not yet submitted data.
	The National Patient Safety Agency has appointed a network of patient safety managers to work with trusts in enabling them to report patient safety incidents to their local risk management system and then to the NRLS.
	In addition the Healthcare Commission is reviewing NHS organisations against a set of core standards, the first one of which relates to safety. Reporting patient safety incidents to the NRLS is one of a set of criteria against which trusts are assessed.
	We are considering what further action can be taken in the light of the National Audit Office report, A safer place for patients: Learning to improve patient safety, which draws attention to the level of reporting in acute, mental health and ambulance trusts in England. The report will be discussed in detail at a committee of public accounts hearing early in 2006. The Government will respond to the committee's subsequent report in the form of a Treasury minute.

Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what administrative savings have been made by the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust since its inception; and what the forecast figures were for such savings.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 21 November 2005
	The information requested is not held centrally.

Plagiocephaly

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the treatment of plagiocephaly;
	(2)  if she will extend treatment for plagiocephaly to families with affected children in those primary care trusts that do not offer treatment.

Liam Byrne: There is a difference between positional plagiocephaly, where flattening of the skull is caused by pressure from the surface on which a baby is customarily laid and craniosynostosis, where the cranial sutures have closed prematurely. In the latter case, surgery may well be necessary to prevent future health problems. The national service framework for children, young people and maternity services sets out standards to ensure that primary care trusts (PCTs) base decisions about treatments on the best evidence available to them. Treatment for plagiocephaly is available should doctors and PCTs consider it necessary.

Primary Care Trusts

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding per capita was given to (a) Chelmsford primary care trust, (b) Essex primary care trusts, (c) Eastern Region primary care trusts, (d) Greater London primary care trusts and (e) primary care trusts in England in the last two financial years for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 17 November 2005
	Revenue resource allocations per head of population to primary care trusts (PCTs) in these areas in 200405 and 200506 are shown in the table.
	Allocations to PCTs are based on the population weighted for a number of factors. These factors include:
	age related needto recognise that people tend to have greater need as they grow older;
	additional needsto reflect difference in health need over and above that accounted for by age; and
	unavoidable difference in the cost of providing services.
	Revenue allocations for PCTs increased from 49.3 billion for 200405 to 53.9 billion for 200506; and are due a further increase to 64 billion in 200607 and 70 billion in 200708. Over the two years covered by this further allocation, PCTs will receive an average increase of 19.5 per cent.
	
		
		
			  200405 allocation per head 200506 allocation per head 
		
		
			 Chelmsford PCT 852 975 
			 PCTs in Essex strategic health authority 905 1,082 
			 PCTs in the Government Office for the East of England 889 1,061 
			 PCTs in the Government Office for London 1,114 1,317 
			 PCTs in England 986 1,172 
		
	
	Note:
	The population data used in the table above is the updated populations used in the 200608 revenue allocations to PCTs.

Primary Care Trusts

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to merge the four primary care trusts in Somerset.

Caroline Flint: Strategic health authorities have recently submitted their proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts, which set out how they intend to strengthen their commissioning function. The proposal for Somerset is available from the Dorset and Somerset SHA. These proposals have been assessed by an independent external panel drawn from and representing a wide range of stakeholder interests, to determine whether the SHA proposals meet the criteria stipulated in Commissioning a Patient-Led NHS (July 2005). Where the criteria are judged to have been met the proposals will go forward to a three-month public consultation. No decisions on the reorganisation of PCTs will be taken until this process has been completed.

Primary Care Trusts

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the potential financial effects of the reconfiguration of primary care trusts.

Liam Byrne: We anticipate that boundary changes and a new focus on commissioning for primary care trusts (PCTs) will enable local organisations to make significant reductions in management costs.
	Following reconfiguration of PCTs and strategic health authorities, we expect upwards of 250 million in savings to be invested back into local frontline services. This means that all over the country, PCTs will be able to decide with their clinicians how this extra money could be used to improve local services.

Reportable Medical Incidents

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical errors and (b) reportable incidents involving (i) drugs and (ii) equipment in NHS hospitals there have been in Kent since 1997.

Caroline Flint: It is only possible to provide data on the number of reportable incidents involving drugs and equipment. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) operates national systems for the collection and monitoring of adverse events related to drugs and devices. Both systems rely upon voluntary reporting of suspected adverse events by health professionals. Manufacturers with respect to devices and marketing authorisation holders with respect to drugs have statutory obligations to report suspected adverse events.
	Table 1 shows the total number of suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports received via the yellow card scheme from 1997 to 2005 by year from hospitals in Kent.
	
		Table 1: Reports received via the yellow card scheme from hospitals in Kent
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 81 
			 1998 100 
			 1999 93 
			 2000 127 
			 2001 93 
			 2002 92 
			 2003 91 
			 2004 91 
			 2005 (131)90 
			 Total 858 
		
	
	(131) Data up to 16 November 2005
	The MHRA pharmacovigilance system does not differentiate between national health service and private hospitals. The number of reports received from Kent hospitals, therefore, includes day hospitals, private hospitals and hospitals that may now be closed.
	The yellow card scheme is the United Kingdom system for collecting and monitoring information on suspected ADRs. The scheme is run by the MHRA on behalf of the committee on safety of medicines. The scheme relies upon voluntary reporting of suspected ADRs by health professionals and under statutory obligation by marketing authorisation holders.
	Table 2 shows the number of medical device related adverse incident reports submitted to the MHRA from the NHS in Kent on a voluntary basis between mid-1999 and 2005. Information obtainable from electronic records created prior to mid-1999 does not distinguish reports from the NHS in Kent.
	
		Table 2: Medical device related adverse incident reports submitted to the MHRA from the NHS in Kent
		
			  Number of reports received from Kent hospitals 
		
		
			 1999 189 
			 2000 143 
			 2001 175 
			 2002 168 
			 2003 140 
			 2004 117 
			 2005 (132)78 
		
	
	(132) Data up to 21 November 2005.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it costs to treat patients resident in Wales at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital; and how many were treated in each year since 2002.

Liam Byrne: Information relating to the costs of treating patients resident in Wales at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital is not held by the Department. However, information relating to the number of finished consultant episodes at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals National Health Service Trust and the predecessor organisation is shown in the table.
	Count of finished consultant episodes for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospitals Trust and Shropshire and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust where patient region of residence is Wales.
	
		
			  Episodes 
		
		
			 200102 8,000 
			 200203 9,156 
			 200304 9,482 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE).
	2. An FCE is defined as the period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. However, it should be noted that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	Data Quality:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS Trusts and PCTs in England. The Health and Social Care Information Centre liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.
	Ungrossed Data:
	Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in the data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Secondments

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff are seconded to her Department; whether their (a) salaries and (b) pension contributions are paid by (i) her Department and (ii) NHS trusts; and whether they are counted in the civil service staff headcount.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr. Mitchell) on 23 October 2005, Official Report, column 2108W.

Smoking

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on whether the proposed ban on smoking in public places will displace smoking from pubs to domestic environments.

Caroline Flint: The evidence available from those countries with legislation for smokefree public places and bars is that there is no significant displacement to domestic environments.
	Smokefree legislation has been shown to result in reduced prevalence of smoking, which in turn means reduced prevalence of smoking in domestic environments as well as public places.
	Recent research on the ban in Ireland reported in the publication Going Smokefree by the Royal College of Physicians pointed to a
	statistically significant increase in the percentage of smokers who banned smoking in their own homes after the smokefree law was introduced.
	(Page 74).

Smoking

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has evaluated on the displacement effect of workplace smoking bans on smoking at home; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Royal College of Physicians July 2005 report, Going Smokefree reviewed the evidence and concluded:
	There is no evidence that smokefree workplaces and enclosed public places increase the exposure of children to environmental tobacco smoke at home.
	A study of changes in Ireland published in the journal Tobacco Control in October 2005 reported from a survey of smokers before and after the March 2004 ban came in:
	...there was a significant decrease in the percentage of Irish homes where smoking was allowed.
	Source:
	Fong G. T., Hyland A et al. Reductions in tobacco smoke pollution and increases in support for smoke-free public places following the implementation of comprehensive smoke-free workplace legislation in the Republic of Ireland: findings from the ITC Ireland/UK survey. Tobacco Control 2005;000:18.doi:10.1136/tc.2005.013649.

Speech and Language Therapists

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 276W, if she will break down the number of speech and language therapists employed by the NHS in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004 by (i) full-time and (ii) part-time workers; and what the full-time equivalent figures were in each year.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified speech and language therapists by nature of contract as at 30 September in each specified year
		
			  Full-time equivalent Headcount 
			  1997 2004 1997 2004 
		
		
			 Qualified speech and language therapists 3,742 4,973 4,871 6,556 
			 Full-time n/a n/a 2,492 3,015 
			 Part-time n/a n/a 2,373 3,541 
			 Unknown n/a n/a 6 0 
		
	
	Note:
	Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	Source:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census.

Staff Sickness Absence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the staff sickness absence rate has been in the NHS in each financial year since 199798;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to reduce the staff absence due to illness rate in the NHS, with particular reference to steps to reduce levels of stress among staff.

Liam Byrne: Information on rates of sickness absence in the national health service is only available from 1999 by calendar year. The rates for sickness absence between 1999 and 2004 for NHS Hospital and Community Health Services staff in England are shown in the table.
	
		Sickness absence rates in the NHS (England)
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1999 4.9 
			 2000 4.7 
			 2001 4.8 
			 2002 4.6 
			 2003 4.7 
			 2004 4.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Sickness absence rate is defined as the amount of time lost through absences as a percentage of staff time available.
	2. This does not cover maternity leave, carers leave or any periods of absence agreed under family friendly/flexible working policies.
	3. General practitioners and their staff are not included in the figures.
	4. The figures are estimates as some organisations in the NHS did not provide figures for sickness absence.
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Sickness and Absence Surveys, 19992004
	NHS employers launched a stress campaign to coincide with national stress awareness day on 2 November. As part of the campaign, all trusts will be supplied with a series of posters and booklets to raise awareness. They will also direct both staff and employers to online toolkits and support networks to help tackle stress.

Unum Provident

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has entered into a contract with Unum Provident.

Jane Kennedy: Unum Provident is not found on the Department's supplier database and has not been paid any money.

Your Health, Your Care, Your Say

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons a regional meeting was chosen as the forum for those selected to apply for involvement in the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say consultation programme; what other consultative forms were considered; what the cost of the consultation exercise has been (a) per stakeholder engaged and (b) in total; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Four regional deliberative consultation events were held as part of the overall consultation which also included a citizens' summit and events co-ordinated by local health and social care organisations, including the voluntary sector. We produced an online questionnaire, copies of which were available in hard copy, an assortment of languages, braille and easy read. An abbreviated questionnaire was published in the magazine Take-a-Break and in the national health service publications, Prime and Fit. Five policy taskforces of key stakeholders have been established to make recommendations on the policy options associated with the public's view and five academic seminars were organised.
	The overall cost is estimated at 1.2 million. Cost per stakeholder will not be known until the feedback from all sources has been analysed fully.